The author carried out an epidemiological observation on 550 leprosy patients accomodated at 5 private leprosaria in Chull-Puk do. The following findings were obtained.
1. Teh sex ratio (male/female) was 1.5/1 331 cases were male patients and 219 were females.
2. Classifying the clinical status of the total patients, it was found that the lepromatous type occupied 73.5% and non-lepromatous type 26.5%. The ratio of lepromatous to non-lepromatous was 2.7/1. It was revealed that 14.5% of the total cases were bacteriologically positive while 85.5% were nagative.
3. As to the age of onset the age group of 15 to 19 years was the highest incidence being 25.5% of the total, the group from 20 to 24 years subsequently occupied 24.7% and the group from 25 to 29 years occupied 14.4%. A few cases were found in the youngest age group of 0 to 4 and also in the oldest age group of over 70.
4. Classifying the age of onset, at the each leprosarium, the age group of 15 to 19 years in the Sung Il leprosarium had the highest incidence of 38.4% and the age group of 20 to 24 years in the Sung Ja leprosarium subsequently occupied 33.0%.
5. As to their educational background, 30.6% of the total number of cases were so illiterate that they did not understand the Korean alphabet, 30.3% of the cases had graduated from the primary school, and 0.7% were college graduates.
6. The distribution of the patients by their native provinces was :Chulla Puk Do 43.0% Chull Nam Do 37.1%, Kyung Sang Nam do 9.1%, Kyung Sang Puk Do 5.8% Chung Cheong nam do 3.8%, Chung Cheong Puk Do 0.9% and Kyung Ki Do and Che Ju Do 0.2% each. Further classification by their native cities and districts revealed: Ko Chang Koon 14.2%, Moo An Koon 10.3% and Koon San City 0.7%
7. As to the duration of illness, 48 years was the longest one, the duration of 10 years was observed inmany cases and occupied 10.0% of the total. The everage duration of all the patients was 10.4 years.
8. Investigating their medication, it was found that many of them had used Diamino Diphenyl sulfon.
9. As to their occupation, most were farmers and some of them were chicken raisers and swineherds.
10. Generally speaking their gygienic conditions were very poor dur to their ignorance of personal hygiene and poor economical conditions, etc.
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