Research On Chinese Leprosy Relief Society(1926-1943)

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease,and its prevention and treatment has not been properly addressed.During the Republic of China,countries such as Europe and the United States effectively controlled leprosy,and launched a large-scale shovel campaign around the world.However,the spread of leprosy in China has intensified,and the number of leprosy patients is huge.Fighting leprosy and treating leprosy patients has become a matter of concern to all parties.In 1926,some domestic elites established The Chinese Mission to Lepers in Shanghai,with the ultimate goal of eliminating leprosy completely in China.Aiming at this goal,the relief society has carried out three tasks,namely,publicizing leprosy knowledge,conducting academic seminars,and treating leprosy patients.The development of various activities of The Chinese Mission to Lepers has popularized the common sense of leprosy,broken the superstition concept of the people,promoted the research on the pathology of leprosy,and aroused the society's concern for leprosy patients.When carrying out activities,some deficiencies of The Chinese Mission to Lepers were also exposed,such as insufficient staff of leprosy doctors,lack of funds in the meeting,and a small radiation range of activities.The time span from the establishment of The Chinese Mission to Lepers to the gradual withdrawal from the historical stage has reached 18 years.Although there were negative effects of war during this period,its members' enthusiasm for fighting leprosy was not diminished.The emergence of The Chinese Mission to Lepers has promoted the development of public health.As one of the medical societies,its development and decline provide unique cases for studying the living conditions and environment of the medical societies in the Republic of China.