La Lèpre, bien que peu contagieuse, était apparue aux États-Unis, concomitamment à des campagnes de vaccinations contre la variole (small-pox) suivant les archives du Bord of Health
1868 “Small-pox was introduced from San Francisco in the year 1868. In that year a general vaccination took place, spring lancets being used, which the President of the Board of Health (Mr. David Dayton) informed me were difficult, if not impossible, to disinfect—the operation causing irreparable mischief. The synchronicity of the spread of leprosy with general vaccination is a matter beyond discussion, and this terrible disease soon afterwards obtained such a foothold amongst the Hawaiians that the Government made a first attempt to control it by means of segregation. Another outbreak of smallpox occurred in 1873, and yet another in 1881, both followed by general arm-to-arm vaccination and a rapid and alarming development of leprosy, as may be seen in successive reports of the Board of Health. While the preponderance of medical and scientific opinion is against the theory that leprosy is, in the ordinary sense of the word, a contagious disease, the evidence in favour of its being communicable by inoculation is overwhelming.”
1. En 1868, 1873 et 1881 les vaccinations contre la variole aux
Etats-Unis ont entraîné une extension alarmante de la lèpre comme le
rapporte le Board of Health (Conseil de Santé).
