The Banishment of Chinese Lepers essays

The Banishment of Chinese Lepers essays The banishment of Chinese lepers to D'Arcy Island was an incorrect decision based on both ignorance and racial prejudice. The conflict between the Chinese lepers and the government could have been solved better, in a different way. The Chinese lepers were treated very poorly, violating their basic civil rights. The government of both Victoria and Canada turned a blind eye upon the Chinese, and leprosy in Canada. Ignorance among Canadians was a major factor in the mistreating of the Chinese lepers. People knew very little of leprosy and believed that even being near a leper gave them the chance of contracting the disease themselves. In fact, only 10% of the Canadian population in the late 1800s had any chance of contracting leprosy. Little research was done on this disease, mostly due to fear, and all lepers that were discovered were immediately shunned and shipped away. Racial prejudice toward all those who were not British was also a factor in the poor treatment of the lepers. Plus, most of the lepers discovered in Canada were Chinese immigrants. The British thought of the Chinese as inferior, and treated them very poorly. Many of the Chinese were unemployed and lived in very poor conditions, the perfect breeding ground for a disease like leprosy, after that, all Chinese immigrants were checked for leprosy, and treated poorly. The leper colony on D'Arcy Island was found upon racism and prejudice. British Canadians diagnosed with leprosy were sent to Tracadie, NB. There was a hospital there for lepers. Resident nurses, doctors, and cooks treated the white lepers. But the Chinese lepers sent to D'Arcy Island had to face very poor living conditions. Crates of supplies were brought over once every three months, and the doctor who came did brief examinations, only staying to count the remaining lepers. Even Chinese lepers found in Toronto and Montreal were shipped to D'Arcy Island, even though Tracadie was much clos...