The unknown story of the only leprosy

colony in the continental United States,

and the thousands of Americans who

were exiled―hidden away with their

“shameful” disease.

Between Baton Rouge and New Orleans,

the Mississippi River curls around an old

plantation thick with trees, with a stately

white manor house at its heart. Locals

knew it asCarville―the site of the only

leprosarium in the continental United

States from 1894 until 1999, where

generations of afflicted Americans were

isolated, often until death. While experts

today know that leprosy is not nearly as

contagious as once feared, there remains

a virulent stigma around those who suffer

from it.

Pam Fessler tells the story of Carville’s

patients against the backdrop of America’s

slowly shifting attitudes toward those cast

aside as “others.” She also reveals how

patients rallied together with an unlikely

team of nuns, researchers, and doctors to

find a cure for the disease, and to fight the

insidious stigma that surrounded it. With

original interviews and newly discovered

archival material, Fessler presents an

essential history of one of America’s most

shameful secrets.

What People Are Saying

“Carville’s Cure is a powerful story of all the

ways that infectious diseases bring out the

best and the worst in people: hope and

fear, science and faith, humanity and

cruelty. Whether you know the history of

Hansen’s disease or not, whether you’ve

been touched by this story personally (as

the author has) or not, this book will speak

to you.  It is the very best kind of history: 

one that is alive with the people whose

story it tells, and one that teaches us how

to face challenges we will face in the

future. It will move you."

— Ron Klain, White House Ebola

Response Coordinator, 2014-15

"Throughout my professional life, I’ve

traveled to many places and at many times

tried to explain Carville to people around

the world. Compared to Pam’s efforts mine

were feeble. This is an excellent story of

my hometown."

— James Carville, political strategist

“Few diseases cause as much

apprehension as leprosy. Even today, in

this age of cures, the very mention is like

a tolling bell – a dire warning of disruption

and death. NPR journalist Pam Fessler has

put her considerable professional and

personal skills to work, unmasking the

history and stigma of this ancient disease.

That stigma, which lingers despite

scientific evidence, dissipates

with this book. Fessler’s skills as a

journalist and humanist shine new light

on old terrors, with well-told stories of

lives and science."

— Susan Stamberg, Special

Correspondent, NPR

“By turns heart-wrenching, inspiring, and

infuriating, this is a fast-paced and highly

readable account of attempts by patients,

their families, doctors and American

society in general to deal with the worlds’

most misunderstood disease.  Written

with the eye of an experienced journalist

and the voice of a novelist, this book tells

the story – stranger than fiction -- of the

patients, nuns, doctors, movie stars, and

politicians who have struggled to come to

terms with the stigma and discrimination

attached to leprosy.  The book is

painstakingly researched and documented,

and unfolds dramatically through the

words of the patients and other

participants through their letters and

personal papers as well as newspaper

accounts and interviews.”  

— Dr. David Scollard, retired director,

National Hansen’s Disease Program