There are 126 records relating to leprosy at the Archivo General de la Nación, Bogotá, Colombia and many of these contain large collections of documents. These records date from 1568 until the early 1900s and trace the early measures taken against the disease including the establishment of leprosaria at Cartagena (Hospital de San Lázaro), Cundinamarca (Agua de Dios), and Santander (the Contratación Leprosarium).

The early documents record cases of the disease and administrative deliberations about how deal with the disease. From 1763, the records reveal the details around the establishment and administration of the Hospital de San Lázaro (1775-1807, 1785-1809, 1805-1809), a list of patients (1763 and 1785-1809), the appointment of Doctor Don José Vincente de la Barcena (1786 in documents dated from 1773-1790), the collection of financial support from the Rent of Liquors from various town councils (1775-1807 and 1789-1802, 1802), and the transfer of people with the disease from places such as San Gil and Socorro (1780) and Santa Fé de Bogotá (1790-91, 1801-1804, 1808-1809). There are also records of complaints from the patients (1806).

There are documents on the foundation of hospitals for lepers in San Gil and Soccoro and Panamá y Quito and records of the transfer of the Hospital of San Lázaro of Cartagena to Caño de Loro (1791-1793), and documents related to the foundation of lepers’ hospitals in New Granada (1791-1798). There are records of further deliberations on the place for a national leprosarium (1871-1895, 1896) and documents associated with a possible leprosarium on the Island of Coiba (1898).

There are records of the establishment and construction of the leprosarium of Santander (1872). Records of Contratación include a request for the application of Carrasquilla’s treatment to be used in the leprosarium (1896).

There are records relating to the construction of the leprosarium in Cundinamarca (the Leprosarium of Agua de Dios 1872), its financial support (1879-1880), requests from the patients for aid (1887), requests from the Union of the Leprosarium for aid (1891), administrative matters (1891, 1892, 1893, 1893); the newspaper (1905); medical reports (1795-1807 and 1795-1799, 1800, 1807); measure against the disease (1799); and medical practitioners associated with the leprosarium (1896).

There are reports on Dr Carrasquilla’s treatment (1891); the establishment of a Commission on the Study of Serumtherapy 1894-6, 1896; the establishment of a Carrasquilla Institute (1895), the application of the treatment to Agua de Dios (1896); appointments to the Commission of Dr Heliodoro Ospina (1896), Dr Alonso Avila (1896), Dr Nicolás Osorio and Dr Juan Manrique (1896); requests of the Commission for resources (1896), negotiations for a suitable place and subject for treatment (1896); the Commission’s report on its study (1896); and the cessation of the treatment by the practitioners of the leprosarium of Agua de Dios (1897).

There are also records of requests made to the Central Board of Hygiene (1896) and the Central Board of Charity (1896).

Legislation: laws and ordinances and civil code (1905)

Entry made October 2002