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Early  Journal  Content  on  JSTOR,  Free  to  Anyone  in  the  World   This  article  is  one  of  nearly  500,000  scholarly  works  digitized  and  made  freely  available  to  everyone  in   the  world  by  JSTOR.     Known  as  the  Early  Journal  Content,  this  set  of  works  include  research  articles,  news,  letters,  and  other   writings  published  in  more  than  200  of  the  oldest  leading  academic  journals.  The  works  date  from  the   mid-­‐seventeenth  to  the  early  twentieth  centuries.      We  encourage  people  to  read  and  share  the  Early  Journal  Content  openly  and  to  tell  others  that  this   resource  exists.    People  may  post  this  content  online  or  redistribute  in  any  way  for  non-­‐commercial   purposes.   Read  more  about  Early  Journal  Content  at  http://about.jstor.org/participate-­‐jstor/individuals/early-­‐ journal-­‐content.                     JSTOR  is  a  digital  library  of  academic  journals,  books,  and  primary  source  objects.  JSTOR  helps  people   discover,  use,  and  build  upon  a  wide  range  of  content  through  a  powerful  research  and  teaching   platform,  and  preserves  this  content  for  future  generations.  JSTOR  is  part  of  ITHAKA,  a  not-­‐for-­‐profit   organization  that  also  includes  Ithaka  S+R  and  Portico.  For  more  information  about  JSTOR,  please   contact  support@jstor.org.   373 April 16, 1899 [Inclosure No. 2.] Mortality of the city of Habana and town of Regla for the week ended Thursday , March 31 , 1898. Cause of death. Habana. Regla. Total. Yellow fever 2 2 Enteric fever. 21 1 22 Pernicious fever. . 4 4 Malarial fever 3 3 Smallpox 9 1 10 Caquexia -palúdica 13 16 Enteritis 66 6 72 Dysentery 20 11 31 Diarrhea 5 ...< 5 Diphtheria 3 3 Pneumonia... 11 11 Tuberculosis 39 5 44 Deaths from all causes 328 32 368 Deaths in military hospitals 54 25 79 Deaths in military hospitals from yellow fever 2 2 Annual ratio per 1,000 93.60 DANISH "WEST INDIES. Quarantine against Puerto Rico revoked. Department of State, Washington , D. 0., April 5 , 1898. Sir : By direction of the Secretary of State, I have the honor to inclose for your information copy of dispatch N" o. 20, of the 23d ultimo, from our minister at Copenhagen, reporting that the quarantine declared by the Danish West Indies against Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, has been revoked. Respectfully, yours, William R. Day, Assistant Secretary. Hon. Secretary of the Treasury. [Inclosure.] Legation of the United States, Copenhagen , March 23, 1898. Sie : I have the honor to report that the quarantine declared by the Danish West Indies against Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, May 13 last, was revoked on the 19th ultimo. I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant, Laukits S. Swenson. Hon. Secretary of State. DENMARK. Leprosy in the Kingdom of Denmark, including Iceland and the Danish West Indies. Copenhagen, March 26, 1898. A new law has just been signed about the lepers in Iceland. A special hospital, a gift from the Danish branch of the Independent ( )rder of Odd Fellows, was built in Copenhagen last winter, and it is now on its way to Reykjavik, Iceland, where it is going to be opened on July 24, 1898. Referring to this consulate's report about leprosy in Iceland, dated April 15, 1898 374 January 7, 1895, Dr. Ehlers informs me that the last time (summer of 1895) he was in Iceland there were 181 known lepers. He thinks, how- ever, that there must be over 200, but the new law must settle this question, as every leper's name has to be entered in a special protocol, and he is, by law, compelled to report. Unfortunately leprosy exists also in the Danish West Indies. The official statistics, which, however, are considered too low, estimate the number of lepers at St. Thomas, Danish West Indies, 22 patients; St. Croix, Danish West Indies, 82 patients, of whom only 23 are in the hospitals, as no compulsory law exists. The Kingdom of Denmark proper is not known to have any lepers, although it is not impossible that Copenhagen, as all larger cities in Europe, has a few who have contracted the disease abroad. Dr. Ehlers, who is the greatest authority in Denmark and whose name is known throughout the world for his great work in the interest of the unfor- tunate lepers, divides the disease in two classes - (1) tuberculous and mixed leprosy and (2) pure anesthetic leprosy. The latter is not con- sidered contagious, as the bacilli of this disease are not found in any tissues except the nerves. It is, therefore, the intention to isolate first the patients suffering from tuberculous and mixed leprosy. I inclose translation of the two laws. Jules Blom, Vice and Deputy Consul . [Translation - Inclosure No. 1.] Law about the establishment and working of a hospital for lepers at Reykjavik, Iceland. Copenhagen, February 4 , 1898. Paragraph 1. When a hospital for lepers at Reykjavik has been finished and handed over to the Government, a sum of kroner 16,000 ($4,288) maybe expended in furnish- ing it. Par. 2. A special doctor shall be appointed to the hospital, and his salary shall be kroner 2,700 ($723.60). This doctor shall, besides his duties as doctor at the hospital, and superintendent over the same, without special compensation, teach the pupils at the doctor school in one or more branches of instruction. Par. 3. The yearly expenses for the working of the hospital shall be granted by the finance committee. Par. 4. Patients are placed in the hospital, subject to the laws now in force. If there is room for more, then other lepers who themselves express the wish can be placed in the hospital. Par. 5. The hospital committee consists of the governor for the south and west coun- ties, and the surgeon-general of Iceland. Should the branch of the Odd Fellows' Association in Denmark establish a branch in Iceland, then its committee has the right to appoint a member of the same to the hospital committee. The governor of Iceland draws up rules for the hospital and its officers. The Ministry for Iceland. [Translation - Inclosure No. 2.] Law about lepers isolation and placing in a public hospital. Copenhagen, February 4 , 1898. Paragraph 1. The names of all lepers must be entered in a special protocol by every county physician. The protocol shall be arranged by the surgeon-general and the special leper doctor, and the cost of the same shall be paid by the Government. Once a year the county physicians must send the surgeon-general an extract of the protocol. Par. 2. When a leper moves from one county to another then the doctor in his county has to inform the doctor in the other county of the removal. Par. 3. The doctor must carefully watch the lepers' mode of living in their districts ; they must inform the lepers and the persons living with them of the necessary precau- 375 April 15, 1898 tions to be taken by the lepers themselves and by the others, in order to avoid the com- munication of the disease to the latter. The doctors must enforce these instructions. The board of health inspectors are instructed to help the doctors to the best of their ability. Par. 4. The lepers must always follow the following rules, viz : 1. Lepers must not sleep in the same bed with others, married people, however, excepted, unless the doctor decides otherwise. 2. Every leper shall have his own cuspidor, and he must not spit on the floor. 3. He must have special plates, knives, forks, and spoons, tablecloth, etc., which he only must use. 4. Lepers' bedsheets, wearing apparel, plates, knives, forks, spoons, and tablecloth must be cleaned and washed separately. The bandages for the sores must, after use, be burnt or disinfected by being boiled in water for at least one-half hour. 5. Lepers are forbidden to tend children, wait on nonlepers, and cook for others. 6. Lepers are forbidden to visit others and receive visits from others. Extraordinary precautions, prescribed by the doctor, under any given circumstances, must be implicitly obeyed by the lepers. Par. 5. Kooms occupied by a leper must not be used by others unless disinfected, as instructed by the doctor. Wearing apparel, bedclothes, etc., used by a leper must also be disinfected. Par. 6. Should a leper die or remove to another place, then the owner of the leper's former home must immediately inform the inspector or the police, who, within a fort- night, must inform the respective doctor thereof. The latter must, without delay, see that the leper's rooms, wearing apparel, bedclothes, etc., which he has left on the spot, be sufficiently disinfected. Par. 7. Lepers who receive help from the public charity association must, when the county physician considers it necessary, be placed in the hospital for lepers. If no room, then the party must be placed so that there is a guaranty that the rules prescribed in paragraph 4 are complied with. The placing of these lepers should, when circumstances permit, be made so that mar- ried couples are not separated against their will. Should the doctor's decision bring about such a separation, then it is only legal if sanctioned by the governor. Children of leprous parents, who receive help from the public charity association, shall always be reared in outside homes. The municipality must not, without the doctor's consent, place poorhouse inmates in homes where lepers already live. Par. 8. The placing of other lepers in the lepers' hospital can be authorized by the governor in exceptional cases upon the recommendation of the respective municipality and doctor. This can, however, only take place when either the rules given in para- graph 4 or the extraordinary precautions mentioned in the last sentence of the same paragraph have not been strictly complied with or the doctor thinks that the illness and danger of contagion are of such a serious nature that the placing of the individual is necessary. In the cases here mentioned it is also understood that married couples are not to be separated against their will except under exceptional circumstances. Par. 9. When this law comes into force the assistance of the police can, when neces- sary, be called upon for placing lepers in the hospital. Par. 10. All the expenses for the lepers maintenance in the lepers hospital as well as the expenses for bringing them there, in accordance with paragraph 8, are paid by the county treasurer. The placing in the hospital of lepers in accordance with para- graph 7 must be paid by the municipality. The expenses, by renewed placing of a patient who has left the hospital without the manager's permission, must be paid by himself, provided he has the means for so doing. Par. 11. Traveling expenses incurred by the doctors, in accordance with this law, are refunded to them on the same terms as if for public service. All disbursements and expenses for disinfection, in accordance with paragraph 6, must be paid by the county treasurer. Par. 12. Contraventions of the rules given in paragraph 5 and omission to report, in accordance with paragraph 6, are punished with fines of up to 200 kroner ($53.60), and are imposed by the police. Par. 13. This law takes effect three months after the date the official notice that the lepers' hospital is, or will be ready, has been inserted in the government's newspaper under division B. The Ministry foe Iceland.