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Father Damien an Open Letter to the Reverend Dr Hyde

Summary: Father Damien (Damien de Veuster, 1840-1889) was a Roman Catholic missionary from Belgium. He went to the leper settlement at Molokai in 1873, where he helped the sufferers of the disease. Damien himself contracted leprosy and died of it in 1889. RLS’s pamphlet, Father Damien (March 1890) was a response to a letter from Reverend C.M. Hyde published in The Presbyterian newspaper on 26 October 1889. In the letter, Dr Hyde criticized Damien’s work at the leper settlement, which Stevenson took umbrage with. RLS was outraged that what he perceived as Damien’s selfless work with the lepers could be censured. RLS’s response was deeply scornful, attacking Hyde personally. Indeed, his pamphlet was filled with such vitriol, he was convinced (wrongly) that he would be sued for libel.

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