A group of leprosy children on the seesaw. This photo was taken in the 1930s.

A group of leprosy children on the seesaw. This photo was taken in the 1930s.


OUR WORLD

Leprosy in Malaysia


In the past when leprosy was still incurable, patients were injected with hydnocarpus oil. Leprosy was recorded in the classic Malay literature "The Malay Annals" in as far back as the fifteenth century. In the early nineteenth century, a wave of immigrants from China, India and Indonesia brought leprosy into Malaya. Admittedly, some Orang Asli (indigenous people of Malaysia) were also leprosy sufferers. The Malay word for leprosy is "kusta", and is of Sanskrit origin meaning "a disease causing discolouration of the skin, physical deformities, and general discomfort."
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The colony has a hospital for the more serious cases. The disease has sporadic attack when the patient become morose and is then sent to the hospital for treatment. In the early days, the Malayan health authorities faced two main challenges: to seek a form of treatment, and to help recovered patients reintegrate into society. Nevertheless, at that time, the medical community and society at large still did not fully understand leprosy, thus many leprosy patients suffered ostracism and discrimination. Laws against leprosy patients were the main reasons for society's rejection of leprosy sufferers.
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A warrant issued by the district court for the detention of leprosy patients in the early years. A close look at the 1926 Leprosy Act reveals the discrimination of the British government against leprosy patients, such as clearly stating in written form that leprosy patients were not allowed in hotels and on public transportation. This law not only took away the right of the leprosy patients to mingle in society, but their basic human rights as well. It also served to strengthen the bias, fear and discrimination of the public towards leprosy patients.
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In the past, leprosy was viewed as an incurable disease. The British government imposed strict segregation policies on the leprosy patients and quarantined them in leprosaria all over the country: Pulau Jerejak, Penang (1871), Pulau Serimbun, Melaka (1860), Setapak, Kuala Lumpur (1893), Pulau Pangkor Laut, Perak (1903), Rajah Charles Brooke Memorial Hospital, Sarawak (1925), Tampoi, Johor (1927), Sungai Buloh, Selangor (1930), Tumpat, Kelantan (1933), and etc. By 2011, only three of these leprosaria were still up and running. They are the Sungai Buloh Settlement, the Tampoi Leprosarium, and the Rajah Charles Brooke Memorial Hospital. All the others have been closed down.