In the first report of the study on diseases of the eyes in casas of rat leprosy, the author was interested to notice the fact that changes of the eyes of rat leprosy were extremely weaker than those of human leprosy. From morbid changes of rat leprosy and their habit of life he also considered that the cause of these changes might be a lack of vitamine or ultra-violet ray. So he carried out the following experiments, results of which could be expected to apply in the prevention and treatment of ocular diseases of human leprosy.
(I) Influences of vitamines.
Since in cases of rat leprosy the liver and other viscera were slightly affected, which caused the disturbance of the metabolism of the fat, a lack of vitamines could be difficultly produced. From these facts the resistance of the tissue of the eyes against leprous changes seemed to be so strong enough, that the latter were observed scarcely. The author, therefore, tried to find out the relationship between morbid changes of rat leprosy and a lack of vitamine A, D and B. Vitamine B was said to have some relations to the cultur of the lepra bacilli. Further in oder to examine the transmission of morbid changes to the eyes he inoculated the bacilli in the upper lid and ocular conjunctiva. In this experiment he could not find an invasion of the bacilli in the eyeball itself within 4 to 6 months.
If rats were fed with food containg a relative lack of vitamine, they could not be kept in life longer than the term, during which there were found little difference of morbid changes between different grades of a lack of vitamines. But the spreading of lepra bacilli in the whole body was found in the following order.
Lack of V. A., standard, lack of V. B., lack of V. D.
The same fact was found in an another experiment in which the baeilli were inoculated in the abdominal wall.
Though morbid changes from a lack of vitamine A were weaker than those from the standard food, the difference was very slight and cases in the experiment were very scanty. The author, therefore, could not dare to determine the fact mentioned above. Moreover he observed that the Fujimaki's standard food seemed to be unfit for rat leprosy. Though morbid changes from a lack of vltamine B weaker than those of the standard, but the difference was very slight. But a had influence of a lack of vitaminc D upon morbid changes of leprous rat was very strong. Since the food of a lack of vitamine D was a rachitic food, further studies should be carried out to determine whether the influence was brought about by a lack of vitamins D itself or by a lack of phosphor.
(II) Influences of ultra-violet ray.
Owing to the fact that morbid changes of human leprosy were often found out in uncovered parts of the body, it was conceived that the ultraviolet ray would inflict a bad influence upon leprosy. Another fact made a suggestion in the same manner, that usually the rat especially decmanus, which mostly suffered from leprosy, lived chiefly in dark places and had few opportunities to be exposed to the sun light. From these facts the author considered that the progress of leprous changes should be relatively slow in the rat. Further the ultraviolet ray had so deleterious effect on the eve, that a mojority of inhab tants in the tropical zone suffered from eye troubles.
Therefore the author threw the ultraviolet ray on the cornea of white rats and observed whether or not lepra bacilli which were inoculated under the ocular conjunctiva were transmitted into the cornea. In this experiment he obtained a negative result. That was to say, he could not find out any difference between a group which was fed in a dark room and an another group which was fed in a room of dispersed light.
He also threw the ultra-violet ray on the part and the whole body of rats, which were treated by inoculating the bacilli in the abdominal wall.

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Es gibt in der Niigata-Präfektur ein Distrikt, welcher seit langer Zeit als ein Lepradorf bekannt ist, wo die ärztlichen Untersuchungen schon zweimal von der Amtsgewalt ausgeübt warden. Bei der Untersuchung, die im 1918 unternommen wurde, wurden 7 Patienten in einem Leprosorium aufgenommen, dabei nur eine tuberöbe Lepra ins Gebirge gelohen ist, und bei der zweiten Untersuchung (1929) fand man 6 andere neuen Patienten, die wahrscheinlich nach der ersten Untersuchung zum Vorschein karnen.
Dritte amtliche Untersuchung wurde von den Verfassern im August 1933 gemacht und wurden 4 neue Nervenlepra-nebst 4 alte Knotenleprafalle entdeckt. Die neu aufgefundenen Patienten sind alle die blutverwanten Mitberwohner, welche 2 mannlich und 2 weiblich sind.
Die Bewobner deses Dorfes glauben nicht die Infektion der Lepra, sondern die Vererbung derselben, so dass die Lebensweise der Patienten von Anderen nicht ausgesetzt wird. Dieses Dorf lokalisiert sick in einem hohen Gebirge, welches jährlich fast 5 Monate hindurch von der Schnee geschlossen ist, und der soziale Verkehr wie z. B. Verheiraten ist gewöhnlich von anderen Distrikten ganz ausgesetzt. Die 244 Bewobner von 56 Familien stammen nur von 3 stammlinen, und so der Prozentsatz der Patienten betragt gerade 2, 4%. Die Verf asser wollten also glauben, dass die hartnackige Epidemie der Lepra auf dem Aberglaunen in Betreff der Krankheitsursache, auf der schlechten Lebensweise und mangelhaften Isoiierung beruhen muss.

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The authors described in Vol. III, No. 3 and Vol. IV, No. 3 of this Journal the physico-chemical property of the drug and the results of the experimental work with the drug.
In this paper they reported the clinical experiments with the drug. A distinct curative action could be observed in 17 cases (85%) among 20 cases of lepers in which the drug had been used for a relative long interval of time (13 lepra maculosa, 4 lepra nervorum, 1 lepra tuberosa and 2 lepra mixta). As the lightening of leprous symptoms the disappearance of nodules, fading of macula, lightening of neuralgia, recovering of paralysis and improvement of the general condition were noticed. In 3 cases (15%) the drug had brought no improvement of leprous changes at all. There was seen no by-effect with the exception of 2 cases of slight fever and headache.

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The author tested the effect of new drugs made in the Bayer Fabric Industry (Hoechst 4887 and 4828 a) upon lepers and compared it with that of the gynocard oil.
1) Hoechst 4887 had rather a strong deleterious reaction, so that it could not be employed for the clinical purpose.
2) Hoechst 4828a which had little reaction and was easily absorved, showed a curative action to a certain grade.
3) It was interesting to notice that the latter drug showed a remarkable effect in cases in which the gynocard oil had little action.
4) The latter drug had the following advantages such as it was easily injected and absorved, as well as had no deleterious reaction.
5) In the comparison of the curtive effect of the drug with that of the gynocard oil, there could be found little difference.

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The author studied changes of the nerve fibres in leprous nodules and macula by a new method of silber impregnation modified by him.
In this experiment he found an intensive change of the nerve fibres in leprous nodules. The changes indicated the degeneration of the nerve fibres such as swelling, cutting off or destruction and diminution of the impregnation of silber.
In a majority of cases these changes corresponded with the grade of cell infiltration and paralysis in the spot as well as the duration of the eruptions, but in a few these were not in harmony.

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