Article January 11, 1900 Issue

Out of Darkness into Light

BY G. W. BARRETT, M.D.

I was a practising physician for about thirty years. During all this time, however, I was never free from some ailment and continually taking medicine. I thought I could not live without it. It seemed impossible to get rid of biliousness, which, from a mortal standpoint, I had inherited.

I struggled along from year to year, trying every new remedy that promised any relief; growing worse all the time, till finally I was compelled to give up my practice entirely and went to the mountains for a short time, thinking that a change of climate might possibly help me. But all was in vain. I returned to my former home in Kansas City, Mo., worse than when I went away—a physical wreck, suffering from enlargement and softening of the liver, indigestion, ulceration of the bowels in the most aggravated form, heart trouble, and that most dreaded of all diseases, called leprosy, which had been contracted when called to see a patient who was afflicted with it. I felt a sense of fear come over me while in the room, but never dreamed of its being leprosy, as I had never seen a case of that kind. I told the patient that I could do nothing and left.

Some time afterwards, during my stay in the mountains, I noticed some peculiar looking spots on my body, so I consulted a specialist on skin diseases and he pronounced it leprosy in its incipient stage. I kept my own counsel, and returned to Kansas City with the expectation of settling up my earthly affairs as soon as possible, for I felt that my days on earth were few. I can see now that it was my fear that fastened the disease upon me.

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