Pulau JerejakA firm proposal to erect a hospital or asylum on the island specially for leprosy sufferers in Penang was made by its Resident Councillor when he wrote to the Governor of the Straits Settlements on 4th September 1863. According to the Resident, the Chinese in Penang were prepared to raise $10,000 at least for the construction of buildings. The Resident asked the Governor to select a site for the hospital and expressed the view that it might be useful to pass a general Act empowering the removal of paupers and leprosy sufferers to islands adjacent to the various stations in the Straits Settlements. The Governor was pleased with the move and prepared to make a grant of the land for the proposed site. He would prepare and send a draft enactment to the india Office for enforcing compulsory residence. Within three weeks the Resident informed the Governor that $14,000 had been subscribed towards the project. The Governor immediately sanctioned a grant of land and ordered the Public Works Department to prepare suitable plans. (A Joshua-Raghavar, Leprosy in Malaysia: Past, Present and Future,( A Joshua-Raghavar: Sungai Buluh, West Malaysia, 1983): 39)[Leprosarium][Malaysia]
1864
Pulau JerejakIn October 1864, a special committee consisting of the Senior Surgeon, the Assistant Surgeon of Penang and Executive Engineer met to examine the situation and on the 4th of the same month forwarded their Report to the Governor. Their findings were that the site of the proposed hospital was a "good one", "the best that could have been selected on the island ... 120 feet from the beach and about 15 feet above high water mark". "The spot was clean and well-cleared of jungle". The soil was sandy and drained well after rain and there was an abundance of good water near by "after careful consideration nothing could be found to militate against it as a suitable position for a hospital". In the opinion of the Committee "the recent cases of fever" were due to "great exposure" "whilst digging in the foundations." (A Joshua-Raghavar, Leprosy in Malaysia: Past, Present and Future,( A Joshua-Raghavar: Sungai Buluh, West Malaysia, 1983): 39)[Leprosarium][Malaysia]
1885
J J Hospital Leprosy WardW J Moore Esq, Surgeon-General with the Government of Bombay, reported to the Secretary of the Government of Bombay, General Department, on Feburary 18, 1889 that a total of 126 people were treated in the JJ Hospital ward. He wrote that "every week some are refused from want of room in the male ward. The average stay in hospital is longer than with ordinary patients, sometimes extending to years." Selections from the Government of India Home Department: Papers Relating to the Treatment of Leprosy in India from 1887-95 . Calcutta: Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India, 1896.[Leprosarium][India]
1887
Hangchow Leper Hospital"So far as we know the only attempt at leprosy relief work in Chekiang is carried on near Hangchow by the Church Missionary Society, the expenses of the leprosy relief work being practically all supplied by the Mission to Lepers. This work was started in a small way in 1887 when Dr Main, who at that time was Medical Superintendent of the CMS Hospital, admitted a few with leprosy into the private wards in the Men's Hospital." Source: Phyllis Haddow and Stephen D Sturton, 'Hangchow', in James L Maxwell, "Ridding China of Leprosy" The China Medical Journal 44 (1930): 789.[Leprosarium][China]
1891
Sehore"The Bombay Gazette, 17th July, 1891, reports the opening of the New Leper Asylum at Sehore, Bhopal, towards which Her Highness the Begum of Bhopal has contributed munificently, and has promised an annual grant of 4500 Rs. for the expenses of maintenance. The building will accommodate about 160 lepers. In his address, Surgeon-Major Dane frankly said, "We do not expect to cure these unfortunate people, as, notwithstanding the praises which are repeatedly being bestowed on some vaunted ‘certain cures’ there is no doubt that a cure for leprosy has still to be discovered." This benevolent lady, the Begum of Bhopal, Nawab Shahjeham, has been persuaded to extend vaccinations in her province, upon which she spends 5000 rupees yearly, employing 35 vaccinators, who performed 38,000 vaccinations last year, thus unwittingly spreading the fell disease at the point of the lancet, and helping to fill the wards of the hospital which her benevolence has established." William Tebb. The Recrudescence of Leprosy and its Causation. London, Swan Sonnenschein and Co, 1893.[Leprosarium][India]
1908
McKean Leprosy HospitalDr James McKean founded the Chiangmai Leper Asylum in 1908. It was the first leprosy center in Thailand, at a time when leprosy sufferers were usually rejected from home and community. Many had wandered until they came to beg in Chiangmai town in order to live, and found shelter and some community together living under the bridge. They went regularly to the mission clinic where they received compassion, food and wound care. Although there was no effective treatment for the disease, Dr. McKean asked the local ruler for land downriver to set up a leprosy centre where those rejected by society were given somewhere to live, and die, with dignity and love. Hostels, small cottages in village groupings, a clinic, a water tower and a church were built. Orderliness and benevolence were keynotes of the centre and the example and teaching of the missionaries led many patients into a vital Christian life of faith. Patients started as recipients but gradually became participants in activities of the center. In keeping with the strict moral views of those days, the women were housed in a separate "village" at the northern end of the property, and the men were at the other end of the property in the men’s village. Both villages were in a community with provisions for basic necessities, plus spiritual and medical help. Hospital wards, a school and more cottages were built gradually over the next 20 years to house the stream of patients making their way to McKean from all parts of Thailand, and even from neighbouring countries. Responsible patients were put into teams (to take of maintenance and as guards and nurses) to help run the center. Dr Trevor Smith (McKean Rehab Center, Chiangmai, Nth Thailand)[Leprosarium][Siam]
1908
Albert Victor Leper AsylumIn December 1908, a proposal was made for the construction of a separate ward for the leper lunatics at the Albert Victor Leprosy Asylum, and the inspector general of civil hospitals was asked to furnish certain information if the ward were to be built West Bengal State Archives[Leprosarium][India]
1908
Ranigunj (Raniganj, Ranigani, Raniganji)Government orders directed the Commissioner to forward the diplomas of Babu John Singh, Medical Officer of the Raniganj leprosy asylum, for inspection of the Inspector General of Civil Hospitals West Bengal State Archives[Leprosarium][India]
1927
Hangchow Leper HospitalThe work suffered a serious setback in the spring of 1927 as the CMS Hospital and associate institutions were first raided by communists and afterwards occupied by representatives of the provincial Government until the hospital was restored to its rightful owners through the intervention of the Central Government in the summer of 1928. Source: Phyllis Haddow and Stephen D Sturton, 'Hangchow', in James L Maxwell, "Ridding China of Leprosy" The China Medical Journal 44 (1930): 790.[Leprosarium][China]
1930
Uganda: Cochrane reported that "The leprosy situation in the Ng'ora district had developed to such an extent that it had outstripped the facilities for dealing with the problem efficiently, and there was a grave danger of a breakdown in the organisation. I have suggested that the work should be built up more gradually by concentrating on the infective cases, by propaganda in the schools and among the chiefs and others, and by training native assistants efficiently to manage the outpatient dispensaries." He continues "I have already stated that the main efforts in Ng'ora should be directed towards the development of the leper hospitals. If as a result of a vigorous effort to induce the infective cases to undergo segregation voluntarily, and the concentration of the out-patient centres at more convenient places the situation was found to be no better, then I consider that it would be quite justifiable to ask for the cooperation of the chiefs and permit them to fine those who refused to attend regularly for treatment. The question of compulsory treatment and compusorly segregation are entirely different, the former is enforced for sleeping sickness, and if occasion demanded it, I do not see any valid reason why it should not be allowed in the treatment of leprosy. The whole point at present is, that a system must be built up which will be capable of dealing with the leper at every stage of the disease, and until such a system is developed no useful purpose will be served by discussing the question of compulsory treatment at length. Source: Robert Cochrane, "Report on the Leprosy Situation in the Uganda Protectorate. Presented to the Uganda BELRA on March 24th 1930".[Organisation, Treatment][Africa, Uganda]
1952
Itu ColonyThere was at the time of my visit between 2,000 and 3,000 patients in charge of one doctor, who also had responsibility for a general hospital... The whole colony bore the stamp of those indefatigable workers, Dr. and Mrs. A. B. Macdonald. It was, however, very obvious that unless the staffing problems are solved the excellent work of the past years would seriously suffer. The staff at Itu has, since my visit, been strengthened by the recruitment of another nursing sister. The future development of this colony will be followed with great interest, for I believe the colony has a great contribution to make towards the control of leprosy in Nigeria.' Source: RG Cochrane, "Report on visit to Nigeria, 15th March to 1st May, 1952", Leprosy Review , 24.1 (1953): 33-51, on p. 35.[Leprosarium][Nigeria]
1958
Kondhwa Budruk (Kondova Leper Home)As described by Dr Antia, and extracted from The Indian Leprologists Look Back , Wadala, Bombay: Acworth Leprosy Hospital Society for Research, Rehabilitation and Education in Leprosy, 1990?: 3, which was transcribed from a tape received on July 26, 1988. It was during my stay in Poona [1958?] that I happened to go one evening on a pedal cycle towards the hills and saw the Leprosarium which was still under the Government of Maharashtra. It was an old Scottish Mission Leprosarium which was in a grim state - this was the Kondhwa Leprosy Hospital.There was a barbed wire fence and armed police standing outside; it was really filthy and dirty. ... Shortly after that the Kondhwa Leprosy Hospital was taken over by the Poona District leprosy Committee under Dr Bandorawalla. They certainly cleaned up the place. There was a small circle of buildings built by the missionaries. One little building with lots of glass windows was the Operation Theatre and in the circle were the other small wards. There was only a very rickety wooden table with thin metal legs tied with a piece of string. This was the only furniture in the Operating Theatre suite! It was difficult to start. I could not get any nurse or doctor or anaesthetist to help me, but I picked up courage and took the instruments and gowns and everything else from Poona. For the first two visits I had to go on a bicycle. But afterwards the road was opened and an old Jeep provided to me.[Leprosarium][India]
1966
Nagpur District, Maharashtra, India: Leprosy is an endemic disease in the district. The Assistant Leprosy Officer of Nagpur is in charge of Nagpur and Marathwada divisions. He works under the Special Leprosy Officer, Maharashtra State, stationed at Nagpur. The Leprosy Centre at Umrer works under the National Leprosy Control Scheme. The Centre had under it 258 villages divided in four sub-centres each with a non-medical assistant. Their main duty is survey and treatment. Propaganda and education also form part of their duty. Survey, Education and Treatment Units have been set up at Katol, Mouda, Narkhed and Saoner under the Bombay Leprosy Plan. Each works under a Leprosy Technician. Two leprosy clinics are located one each at Nagpur and Parseoni. A six-bed temporary hospitalization ward has been built within the premises of the Mayo Hospital, Nagpur. The Leprosy Training Centre at the Medical College, Nagpur, affords training in leprosy work to the medical graduates. In the out-patient department attached to this centre, 2,500 patients so far have been diagnosed and treated. Source: Maharashtra State Gazetteer, Nagpur District. Bombay: Directorate of Government Printing, Stationery and Publications, Maharashtra State, 1966. 1st edn, 1908. 2nd (rev) 1966, p. 656.[Other][India]
1969
From May 10-14, 1969, the first Orissa State Leprosy Workers' Conference was held at Puri. Dr Wardekar visited the Leprosy Home and Hospital at Cuttack.[People][India]
1992
McKean Leprosy HospitalA new facility was built to replace the obsolete buildings that had evolved gradually over the previous 80 years. The rehab specialist advised us to get all the therapy workers under the same roof, and to develop the team concept, with weekly team meetings to discuss goals and progress of each patient. Team meetings commenced in 1987, and the new building (wards, PT, OT rooms, shoe and prosthetics department, etc) was commenced in 1992. The old dormitory style wards were unsuitable for modern Thailand, where new peripheral hospitals were newly built as more modern structures. Severe flooding in 1987, 1994 and 1995 made these old buildings a liability. The new wards have a maximum of 6 beds in each room, with some private rooms available for patients who need isolation, and the spacious therapy rooms are the envy of all who visit. It is a vast improvement on the former setup where all departments were scattered over a wide area in crowded and inadequate facilities. The improved hospital conditions have attracted more interest from potential staff members, and referrals are gradually increasing from other hospitals as they become aware of such a rehabilitation unit in Chiangmai. By 1999, the ratio of leprosy to nonleprosy admissions had almost reached 1:1. Our goals for rehab patients included mobility and independence, but self-propelled wheelchairs were not procurable locally. Imported ones from the West were too expensive and too big. A visiting UK engineer was asked to pioneer wheelchair production and a wheelchair factory was started making custom-made self-propelled wheelchairs. This was done in 1988 with almost immediate orders from all over the country for such chairs and other walking aids and equipment. Dr Trevor Smith (McKean Rehab Center, Chiangmai, Nth Thailand)[Leprosarium][Siam]
2002
MirajDr. Vijay Kumar Edward Superintendent, The Leprosy Mission Richardson Leprosy Hospital, Miraj Sangli District - 416 410 Maharashtra[Leprosarium][India]