Dr, Etienne Burnet, Secretary of the 'Leper Commission of the League of Nations Health Organiz~ ation and Director of the Pasteur Anstitute of Tunis, who has been "investigating local' leper problems, Was entertained at a dinner at the Oriental Hotel on April 25 by' the Chinese Mission to Lepers. Mr. Win. Vinson Lee, president of the Chinese Mission to Lepers, occupied the chair.
In extending a welcome to Dr. Burnet, Mr. Lee said that,—since the formation of the Chinese Mission to Lepers in 1926, it has been favoured with the visits of eminent leper experts from Great Britain and the United States and it was A pleasure now to have an expert from France. Much valuable information:. had been obtained from these visitors and passed on to those interested. Ovking to disturbed poli tical conditions, etc, it had not been possible to carry out the pro-Posed campaign to raise funds for model leper hospital in Shanghai but a large sum of money was in hand towards the parchaso of the land. The Mission had gathered much dotal on leprosy in various centres personally investigated by the Rev. 7. C. Wa, the general secretary, from' which it was able to formulate a number of recommendations to the Ministry of Health for tackling the problem. The Mission had been supplying ethel esters of chaulmoogra oil to various hospitals and was doing everything to solve the problem, 'A. strong committee were raising funds for a proposed hospital in Amoy and, in Kiangsi, land had been secured for a leper hospital costings $20,000, of which $5,000 had been pledged by the Mission, The Mission had taken over the Hong: kow General Dispensary which threatened to close some weeks on account of the death of Dr. Elizabeth Shapleigh and this was bel Yun as a general clinic on week: and as a-leper clinic on Sune Through contributions of the Hong Kong Auxiliary, the Mission was maintaining a doctor at Taikam Leper Home in Kuangtung.
In conclusion, Mr. Lee assured Dr. Burnet of the ce-operation of the Chinese Mission to Lepers with the work of the Commission for Leprosy of the League of Nations Health Organization.
Responding, Dr, Burnet said he came here to gather information concerning leprosy for of Nations Health Leprosy was an awful disease not only from the medical but also from the moral aspect. He advocated the segregation of advanced cases of leprosy and the clinic treat ment of early eases as the most practical means of coping with the disease, as recommended by Sir Leonard Rodgers. China, he said, had the largest leper population ut, as the National Government was feverishly carrying on reco! struction work and was faced with many difficulties, he could not reasonably expect the immediate organization of modern leper work on a large scale. He had visited Dr. J. Hong Liu, Minister of Health, Nanking on Tuesday and spent: four hours discussing the leper prob-Jem and was assured that action would shortly be taken to combat the disease.
Dr. Burnet ida tribute to the towards the Owing to present conditions, he considered it impossible to tackle the problem without the help of missionaries and he hoped the National Government, which knew the difficulties of finding men and women for such work, appreciated the sistance rendered various. mission bodies. He congratulated the sion to. Repers tageous efforts and hoped that the National Government would heed its recommendations. The problem Was 50 great that it was inadvisable to attempt to work on a large scale. It should begin in two or} three leper centres and gradually expand. He understood that. the Ministry of Health was willing to accept the ce-operation of the Leonard Wood Memorial Fund which included in its purpose both Ieprosy prophylaxis and relief. He concluded by hoping that peace would soon come to China to en-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.