3.3 Communicable disease control
At that time, the term “leprosy” was more frequently used than “Hansen’s disease”. Wandering lepers who revolted against the forced accommodation by the Government and thus absconded the facility outnumbered those who chose to stay, and they led hopeless lives, hiding under bridges or in vegetable fields. Before the anti-leprosy drug 4,4’diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS) was developed, there was a wild rumour that leprosy could be cured if the patients ate human flesh. So, parents urged their children to stay away from barley or vegetable fields on their way home in case lepers kidnapped them. Moreover, parents stopped babies or children from crying by scaring them, telling them that lepers would come if they kept crying. During this period, lepers were considered a problematic group that caused social unrest rather than patients who needed treatment (26).
QQ William P. Forrest of WHO (right) meets a leprosy patient (left) at a settlement village in 1952.
© National Archives of Korea
In 1916, as part of efforts to control leprosy (also known as Hansen’s disease), the Japanese Governor-General of Korea constructed Jahye Hospital on Sorok Island, where patients were forced into quarantine. Thousands of patients were starved and tortured there, first by the Japanese, who ruled Korea from 1910 until 1945, and then by Korean authorities, who continued to quarantine the patients on Sorok Island until 1963. Park No-yai, a leading scholar in public health in the Republic of Korea, reflected on the situation as follows:
© National Archives of Korea
3.3.1 Leprosy
In 1948, the official number of leprosy patients in Korea stood at 20 924. An additional 24 100 unregistered patients more than doubled the total number to 45 024. The control of leprosy was considered a national project (27). In 1952, the Republic of Korea introduced dapsone (DDS), an effective drug against leprosy, which provided a break-
QQ Henry Meyer of WHO (far right) meets a leprosy patient (second from right) at a settlement village near Busan in the 1950s.
the origins of health services and who support in the republic of korea
15
