I often think of the story where a scientist confronts a plague on his evening stroll. One million people died from the plague, reported the news paper. The scientist was furious and questioned the plague on its return. It was all about perception replied the plague. It was quite difficult for the scientist to comprehend the situation, because the plague had told him it was to kill only ten thousand people. The rest of them died out of fear. Is fear, perceiving the senseless?
There is another story. Only it is reality and of the present. There were almost 200 school children in 2008 with early signs and symptoms of Leprosy. They had no classical pale, senseless patches that is typical of this disease. But, only their surface nerves on face and limbs were involved. It is quite common in India and it is usually referred to as `Poly Neuritic'. They were treated and cured within four weeks.
Picture shows children from a government primary school attending a review clinic for treatment in December 2008. Almost thirty five children attended the clinic from Andikottai, about 10 kms from our centre.All of them were cured and some of them still attend review clinics
Just few years ago we could see or feel nothing on screening. We had only one or two patients under treatment. No anaesthetic patches or active lesions or reactions, as we used to five to ten years ago. In 2008, I could feel surface nerves in these children. They were thickened, sometimes tender and painful and no structural deformity of muscles or bones.
This is a serious story even though most of these children have a good self-healing tendency. We can not leave them to their own defence and turn away saying, `Leprosy is eradicated'. Is this also perceiving the senseless? Makes me wonder.
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