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The Work Begins
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Others Catch the Vision
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The Mission is Official
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The Work Expands
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Medical Advances and Treatment
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Multidrug Therapy
The
Work Begins
1869
An Irishman, Wellesley Bailey was teaching in the Punjab, India, when he
first became
aware of the tragic plight of 'lepers', living as outcasts in colonies. He
writes, "I almost shuddered, yet I was at the same time fascinated and I felt,
if ever there was a Christ-like work in this world, it was to go among these poor
sufferers and bring them the consolation of the Gospel." And so the work
begins. |
Others catch the Vision
1873
After labouring tirelessly for several years in what was then called
a leper colony, Wellesley and his wife, Alice, returned to Dublin
for rest. But so fervent
was Wellesley's vision, that others soon caught it too. Alice's friends, the Pim
sisters, pledged to raise £30 a year. In response to that pledge of support,
Wellesley printed 2,000 pamphlets entitled 'Lepers in India' to publicise the work.
1874
Back in the Punjab
Wellesley and Alice continued to try and improve the appalling conditions in the
colony. As time went on, and seeing that so much more could be done Wellesley
appealed to his support group in Dublin for more money. His prayers were
answered. By the end of the year more than £500 had been pledged for Wellesley's
mission, increasing to £809 in 1875.
This meant that Wellesley now had
ample funds for his colony and so he started giving grants to other missionaries in
India who cared for leprosy sufferers. He writes, "We felt convinced that the
movement was of God, and that it was to develop into something far larger than we had ever
thought of. In other words, that God had taken the lead and that we must
follow."
The
Mission is Official
1878
The burden which he felt when he
first came into contact with those affected with leprosy had turned quickly into a vision
for when could be done to help. It was now fast becoming a reality. People's lives
were being impacted. The next natural step was the need to officially formalise the
Mission. And it was to do this that Wellesley returned briefly to Dublin. It would be called, 'The Mission to Lepers in India'.
However 4 years later in 1882,
due to Alice's ill health, the Baileys were forced to leave India and based themselves in
Edinburgh. It was from here that Wellesley liaised with the Dublin committee.
Although seperated by many thousands of miles he was still very much involved in the
work. So much so that in 1886 he was elected Secretary and undertook short-term
visits to India to supervise the Mission's progress.
The
Work Expands
1889
The Mission's work had
snowballed. However with 26 assisted stations in India and Ceylon finances were
stretched. Then on April 19 news rang out of the death of a Belgian priest called
Father Damien. He had contracted leprosy whilst caring for sufferers on the Pacific
island of Molokai. Awareness of and support for the Mission's work rapidly
increased.
1893
Support groups sprang up in Britain, Canada and the USA. As a result the
Mission was able to respond to pleas for help from Burma, China and Japan.
This expansion was recognised in the
society's new title - 'The Mission to Lepers in India and the East'.
1913
New Zealand and Australian auxiliary groups were raising support and the Mission
was assisting with the care of over 14,000 patients in 12 countries. Now a worldwide
Mission, the limitless title of 'The Mission to Lepers' was adopted.
1917
Wellesley Bailey, aged
71 announced his retirement, although he continued in an honorary capacity until his death
in 1937. He writes, "I pray that God's abundant blessing may be poured
out on this work in the days to come as it has been in the past."
Medical Advances and Treatment
In 1873 Norwegian doctor,
GHA Hansen, had discovered that leprosy was caused by a
bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae. No cure was available but later,
in the 1920's, oil from the Chaulmoogra tree was found to alleviate some of the
discomforts of leprosy. This gave new hope to 'The Mission to Lepers' and the newly
formed 'American Mission to Lepers' that a drug could soon be developed to combat leprosy.
It was heralded a miracle when the drug Dapsone was developed in the 1940's and tested on
leprosy patients. Instead of remaining in hospital until their death, many people
left, cured. However, jubilation was soon tempered by caution as some patients
suffered relapses or developed a resistance to Dapsone.
Reconstructive
Surgery
While leprologists such as
Dr Stanley Browne continued their research, orthopaedic surgeon Paul Brand began a pioneering work to correct the disabilities which
arise from neglected leprosy, such as 'claw hand' or 'foot drop'.
The
Leprosy Mission
1960
The Mission owned 30
centres in Asia and was aiding 90 Christian missions in over 30 countries. The
kingdoms of Nepal and Bhutan, previously closed to foreigners, were soon to embrace the
professional help of the Mission.
1962
In order to stress that people should not be branded by their disease, the term 'leper'
was dropped and The Mission to Lepers changed its title to
'The Leprosy Mission'
(TLM).
1970
A new strategy was deployed to tackle leprosy - SET (Survey, Education,
Treatment). Instead of expecting people to come to leprosy clinics, health staff
trained by TLM would trek to remote villages to find new cases.
Multidrug
Therapy
1982
A major breakthrough
occurred in leprosy treatment - multidrug
therapy (MDT). For most people, a six month course of tablets for the milder
form of leprosy and two years for the more severe form will cure them of the
disease. However, for those who suffer a disabling reaction caused by the build-up
of dead bacilli in the body, additional steroid treatment is given.
Due to the success of MDT, the number of people with leprosy has fallen rapidly from some
15 million in the early 1980's to less than 2 million in 1999. CurrentlyTLM has 2,300
field staff working in over 30 countries. The World Health Organisation had hoped to
see leprosy brought under control as a public health problem by the year 2000 but this was
not possible. However, thanks to the prayers and financial generosity of supporters
throughout the world, TLM staff have been striving to find and treat as many people as
possible.
Mission Accomplished?
No. There are a
lot of people left disabled by leprosy who need help. As well as continuing to
treat newly diagnosed cases, TLM will step up prevention of disability work and
reconstructive surgery. Rehabilitation schemes to help people become financially
independent and respected within the community are underway. More
Vocational Training Centres are also
being built to help young people affected by leprosy to learn a trade and find a job more
easily.
