01392nas a2200193   4500000000100000008004100001653002300042653001200065653001700077653001300094653001500107653001100122100001600133245003100149300001200180490000700192520098500199022001401184       2018                            d10aHistory of leprosy10aleprosy10aTransmission10aChildren10aSeperation10aCulion1 aRobertson J00aLeprosy's untainted child.  a261-2860 v923 a<p>In the face of an obdurate disease, the Mission to Lepers made a virtue out of "saving" children from leprosy and from paganism by separating them from their parents so that they became a source of publicity, sponsorship, and fund-raising. This policy transformed a benevolent work of mercy into a professional one, for it soon became clear that children separated from their parents did not develop leprosy. Consequently, the asylum became a site where scientific conclusions were made about the transmission of the disease, and the authority of the mission was enhanced at international medical conferences. This nascent professionalism became sufficient for the Philippines to also be persuaded to remove children from their leprosy-infected parents. In turn, Culion-based research on the observations of children ensured the authority of the American and Philippine doctors in informing decisions made by the League of Nations and later the World Health Organization.</p>
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