Leprosy Introduced To

Cook Is. From Hawaii

From Our Own Correspondent

Rarotonga, Oct. 19.

TV/ITH the recent opening of the Leper ** Isolation Station on Penrhyn, a further batch of six lepers left Aitutaki on the recent north-bound Tagua. The Penrhyn station, which is in charge of a Native Medical Practitioner, will act as a central depot for the Group and from which cases may be periodically removed to Makogai, Fiji.

Leprosy, which appears to be more prevalent on certain of the Cook Islands than others, is attributed to early and unsupervised contact with Hawaii. On Manihiki, the first authentic case was that of a man who left there in 1868 for

Honolulu and on his return developed the disease. The next case was also of a man who had visited Hawaii and lived with a leper family.

Both in Penrhyn and Palmerston the origin of leprosy is attributed to contact with Hawaii, and it is certainly a fact that on these islands the disease has been more prevalent than elsewhere in the Group.

Mr. H. S. Wynne, manager at Rabaul, New Guinea, for the Vacuum Oil Com pany, and his wife, were in Melbourne on furlough during October and early November.

Mr. Philip Burge, who has been a clerk at Makogai Island, Fiji, since February of last year, was seriously injured in October in a motor accident.