BC's "Island of death" marked a sad chapter in Canada's medical history.

Although the first case of leprosy in Canada was detected in 1815 in New Brunswick, the saddest chapter concerning the disease's history in Canada did not open until the late 1800s when leprosy was discovered among Chinese migrant workers on Canada's West Coast--a chapter that was not closed until 1957. Penelope Johnston relates the story of British Columbia's "Island of Death," where lepers used to be quarantined.