Leprosy propaganda slogan

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Leprosy Bacillus, which mainly invades human skin, mucosa and peripheral nerves. Untreated leprosy patients are the only known source of infection (especially multi-bacterial patients). The formation of deformity and fear of infection are the main reasons for people's fear and discrimination against leprosy patients. In fact, leprosy is not as terrible as we thought, and its harm to human beings is far less than diseases such as AIDS and tuberculosis.

Recently, I was reading a novel with more than 380 pages, and I read it twice in one breath. This novel is Cry on a Island written by British woman writer Victoria? Hislop. Hislop is the propaganda ambassador of the Leprosy Relief Association, and the creation of the novel Island also originated from a visit to the leprosy scene.

Although the novel is fictional, the background is true-from 1903 to 1957, the island of Spinalonga, north of the coast of Crete, Greece, was the main leprosy isolation area in Greece. In that era when there was no effective cure for leprosy, there was no doubt that leprosy patients were frightening. Once they are diagnosed with leprosy, they will be sent to this small island surrounded by water, and Spinaronga Island is also the final destination of most leprosy patients.

The novel begins with the confusion of Alexis, a 25-year-old girl who is the fourth generation member of the Petsky family (the name is too long, hereinafter referred to as "Ali"). On the one hand, she is curious about the life of her mother Sophia. Apart from menstruation and photos of her uncle from Crete, her mother has no clue about her past. Ali felt that Sophia seemed to be hiding something. On the other hand, Ali is more and more confused about her boyfriend Ed who has been together for five years. She found that the differences between them seemed to be getting bigger and bigger, but Ed, who was self-righteous and bossy, didn't realize it. Ali hesitated whether to get married or break up.

Taking advantage of the holiday in Crete with Ed, Ali got up the courage to suggest to his mother to visit her birthplace. Sophia, who is always tight-lipped about her hometown, agreed and wrote a letter to her old friend Fortyny. After meeting Fortyny, a long memory began.

The story begins with the first generation of the Petsky family. Guiorguis and Elaine are residents of Buracas Village, Crete, and the islands of Spinalonga and Buracas are separated by water. George is a fisherman and Elaine is a teacher. They have two beautiful daughters-the eldest daughter Anna and the second daughter Maria. The family lived a happy and peaceful life until Elaine was diagnosed with leprosy and sent to the formidable island of Spinalonga with one of her students. Since then, Guiorguis's home has been broken.

Elaine came to the island with despair, but she saw a different life on the island. Although the sparrow is small, it has all aspects. Although Spinalonga is a penal colony for lepers, it is also a small society with elected leaders, town halls, hospitals, shops and bars. Although the special islanders have shrouded the island in sadness, they are brewing upward strength in sadness. Especially when a group of "rebellious" leprosy patients exiled by Athens hospital came to the island, they were all industry elites, which injected new vitality into Spinaronga Island. They strive for better living conditions from the government. Even later, life on the island was better than the villages outside the island, with electric lights, cinemas and their own newspapers, which was unimaginable to the outside world. After the outbreak of World War II, the Germans occupied Crete, but Spinaronga was spared by leprosy patients.

But then again, no matter how good the island is, it is just a small place where leprosy patients are under house arrest. They could not escape from Spinalonga Island, and it was even more difficult to escape the fatal blow of leprosy under the medical conditions at that time. Elaine is one of these unfortunate people.

After Elaine died, her two daughters Anna and Maria also grew up. Anna's mood is changeable, she has a bad temper and doesn't like working. Maria is gentle and demure, and she works hard, which gives her father great comfort. Anna just wants to escape from this miserable family. She also attracted countless men with her outstanding beauty and superb acting skills, and finally got married as she wished. Anna, who was restless by nature, was soon dissatisfied with the comfortable but boring life of rich and powerful people, so she had a relationship with her husband's cousin. Under Anna's unintentional arrangement, this cousin once fell in love with the innocent and kind Maria at first sight, and even changed her bohemian nature and solemnly proposed to Maria. The wedding is just around the corner, but Maria finds out that she may also have leprosy. Panicked Maria and her father Guiorguis got the news of the diagnosis from the hospital. Maria was immediately sent to Spinalonga by her father, and the wedding fell through. Anna will hook up with her cousin who can't change her nature, and eventually she will suffer the consequences.

Maria saw her happiness go up in smoke, and her first arrival in Spinalonga was undoubtedly painful. However, like her mother Elaine, the first sight of the bustling and orderly life on the island is still shocking. Under the care of her mother's former friends, Maria soon cheered up. At that time, the medical technology was more advanced than my mother's, and another doctor volunteered to come to the island to see the islanders. It is this caring, wise and courageous doctor, Dr. Christie, who has brought the hope of rebirth to the islanders. For Maria, Dr. Christie made her realize what true love is.

Spinalonga Island has finally ushered in the moment of liberation-most leprosy patients have recovered, and a few patients will be transferred to Athens hospital for further treatment. To celebrate this historic evacuation, a grand celebration was held in Buracas Village on the other side of Spinalonga Island. That night, Anna's husband had noticed the affair between Anna and her cousin. On the way to Buracas, he heard Anna confess that she loved his cousin the most in her life, so she couldn't bear it, and shot Anna with a gun. She was put in prison, and her cousin had escaped and disappeared. At that time, Anna had a two-year-old daughter Sophia, but who her father was has always been a mystery.

George lost a daughter as well as a daughter. In order to take care of her father, Maria once rejected Dr. Kritis's proposal of marriage. Fortunately, fate won't let her bear all the bad luck. After some twists and turns, the lovers finally got married. They naturally shoulder the heavy responsibility of raising Sophia. Sophia was taken care of by Maria and his wife as her own daughter until she reached the age of rebellion and insisted on going to Athens, far away from home, but she went to college. Maria and his wife decided to tell her her true identity. Sophia knew that she had an unruly mother, a murderer's father or an adulterer's father. She was very angry and desperate, so she went to Athens to study, and once broke off contact with Maria and his wife. A year later, Sophia met and fell in love with her current British husband, and gave up her studies and got married in Britain without hesitation. Maria and his wife met only once at her wedding, but they never met again, despite their correspondence. It was not until Maria and his wife died that Sophia became a mother. She is more and more ashamed of Maria and his wife. The more she feels guilty, the more she wants to make a clean break with the past. She ruined everything with the past, buried her pain in her heart and said nothing to her family.

At this point, the dialogue between Fortyny and Ali in the past few days is coming to an end. Finally, Fortyny called Sophia and invited her to Buracas to tell her the story in person. Sophia no longer hesitated, and immediately flew to Buracas, where she had lived for many years, to see her daughter Ali. Sophia couldn't help crying when she mentioned the money she owed Maria and his wife. She just wants to break with the past and forget the person who loves her most. Beautiful comfort mother:

In Ali's eyes, she saw no shame, only heroism; No infidelity, only passion; There is no leprosy, only love. Sophia finally let go of the past completely, she can easily return to England, and Ali will return to her boyfriend Ed. They went on holiday together, but Ali went out alone for a few days. The consequence of hanging Ed in the hotel was that as soon as they met, Ed flew into a rage and didn't listen to any explanation. Ali has gone through a journey of seeking roots these days, and she also knows how to choose. She went back to the hotel and left a note for Ed. "I'm sorry it ended like this. You never listen to me. "Then I caught my mother Sophia's ferry and went home together.

There is no doubt that "The Island" tells a long story. As the exile of leprosy patients, Spinalonga Island must be as desperate and terrible as their disease to outsiders. However, they just didn't give in to fate, worked hard to build the island, and let the desperate heart rebuild hope. More importantly, the ruined island of Spinalonga is still a source of inspiration for self-recovery. Sophia finally put down her long-suppressed regret and accepted the unusual history of the Petsky family. After listening to the shocking story of this family, Ali saw the insurmountable gap between her and Ed and decided to let go.

Spinalonga Island is the embodiment of spirit and strength in history and now. It used to be the exile of leprosy patients, and it was also a place for future generations to find themselves and know themselves.

I hope I can go to Greece one day to see the ruins of Spinalonga Island.