愛生園癩患者의 統計的觀察 = STATISTICAL OBESRVATION OF LEPROSY IN AE-SENG LEPROSARIUM

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The statistical observation of leprosy patients in Ae-Seng Leprosarium gives us the following results:
Total number is 517 and the ratio of male to female is 1.75:1.
The nodule type occupies 55%, the macule type 3%, and the nerve type 42% of all the patients.
The age curve has a peak between 26 and 30 years (18,58%) Agriculture is the most common occupation (62%). In graduation of education, illiteracy is very frequent (59.5%) among these patients, who were nearly all born in Kyung Pook Province (86%), many of them in Ui-Sung Gun (19%).
The first symptoms are swelling and hyperesthesia involving especially the face 27% and/or the hands (28.2%). The onset of the disease occurrs between the age of 16 and 20 years for the 43.7% of the patients of whom a large number (48%) reported in the Spring (March, April and May).
57.64% of the patients believe that the disease is a spontaneous affection, 20.2% that it is hereditary, 14.1% reckon their ignorance and only 7.93% know about the infectious character of the disease.
These patients have used different drngs; chaulmoogra oil 32%, Diason 18%, Promin 13% while 23% have used chinese decoctions and 14% home made medicines.
Regarding the results of the treatment, 74.85% of them are hopeful 20.32% doubtful, 3.03% do not know, and 1.74% hopeless 67% of the patients were able to have some sorts of occupations.
Conclsively, the primordial task in Korea seems still to be an exact evalnation of the facts to establish a large scale of program of action enforcing a stricter control of the patients, of the usage of the proper medicines in the proper way. The program will also have to educational part stressing the real condition of the disease to the population in general and specially in some districts.