118 REPORT OF THE LEPROSY COMMISSION:
material prosperity into three classes, viz., rich, moderately
prosperous and poor. A classification of this nature no doubt
involves great difficulties and cannot be altogether without
inaccuracies. It has, however, been prepared as carefully as
possible after due consultation with British officials and
educated natives most versed in this matter. No European,
and perhaps even no Indian, possesses a perfect knowledge of
the caste systems, and hence the following remarks must be
accepted as suggestions merely.
From the following statistics it appears that the least amount
of leprosy is found among the wealthy or rich castes, the ratio
being less than one per ten thousand, while the disease is most
prevalent among the poorer castes (3.05 per ten thousand)
This suggests the fact that leprosy like tuberculosis has a
certain predilection for people living under bad and more or
less miserable conditions. It is greatly to be regretted that
on account of the unavoidable want of statistical data at the
time of writing, statements regarding other parts of India were
unobtainable, because the evidence afforded by one province
can hardly be considered sufficient, when a question of so
difficult a nature is under discussion. In future, however, the
degree to which the richer and poorer castes respectively are
liable to suffer from leprosy should demand attention. It has
already been shown that the poverty-stricken districts present
higher ratios than the wealthier ones, and if the distribution
of leprosy among the different castes should also establish
this connexion between the disease and bad social or hygienic
conditions, the importance of an individual predisposition is
placed beyond a doubt. The further investigation of this
matter must, however, be left to others who are more familiar
with Indian social matters and who are in possession of all the
statistical evidence obtainable The few facts at the disposal
of the Commission clearly point to the influence of poverty
and its accompaniments or consequences on the distribution
of leprosy.