I heard that one of the Hawaiian islands was once a place where they sent lepers, is this true? Are they still doing this?

-- Heather Hiddleson (heather_hiddleson@albertsons.com), January 17, 1999

Answers

It's not the whole island. On Molokai, there's a place called Kalaupapa where there are 1,000 foot cliffs surrounding a peninsula. Theres is only one trail down. Gaurds watched to make sure lepers didn't climb up to escape. Lepers were brought by sea and thrown off boats and had to swim to the safety of the colony. This is the leper colony made famous by Father Damien. Leprosy is now not a deadly or contagious disease as it is controled by medicine. People originally banished to Kalaupapa still live there although they are free to move. You need permission to hike down. You used to be able to take a mule ride tour down. After seeing the view from topside, you'll definitely want to go down.

-- Roy Inouye (roy@bothi.com), January 17, 1999.