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Toussaint (leper Chief)
Toussaint ( 1890 – after 1934) was the chief of a leper colony in South America, known for his appearance in the novel '' Papillon''. The semi-autobiographical novel recounts the escape of Henri Charrière from the French penal colony of Devil's Island in French Guiana. In 1934, Charrière, with his fellow prisoners Clusiot and Maturette, escaped from the penal colony. During their escape, they went to Toussaint's leper colony to obtain money and a boat. Toussaint was a Frenchman, and is believed to have himself served time at Devil's Island. He contracted leprosy, most likely while in the penal colony. Toussaint was sent to a leper colony on Chacachacare, and stayed in the colony for the rest of his life. He was portrayed by Anthony Zerbe Anthony Jared Zerbe (born May 20, 1936) is an American actor. His notable film roles include the post-apocalyptic cult leader Matthias in ''The Omega Man'', a 1971 film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel, '' I Am Legend''; as an Ir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Papillon (autobiography)
''Papillon'' (, "butterfly") is a novel written by Henri Charrière, first published in France on 30 April 1969. ''Papillon'' is Charrière's nickname. The novel details Papillon's purported incarceration and subsequent escape from the Devil's Island, French penal colony of French Guiana, and covers a 14-year period between 1931 and 1945. While Charrière claimed that Papillon was largely true, modern researchers believe that much of the book’s material came from other inmates, rather than Charrière himself. Synopsis The book is an account of a 14-year period in Papillon's life (October 26, 1931, to October 18, 1945), beginning when he was wrongly convicted of murder in France and sentenced to a life of hard labor at the Devil's Island, ''Bagne de Cayenne'', the penal colony of Cayenne in French Guiana known as Devil's Island. He eventually escaped from the colony and settled in Venezuela, where he lived and prospered. After a brief stay at a prison in Caen, Papillon was put ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henri Charrière
Henri Charrière (; 16 November 1906 – 29 July 1973) was a French writer, convicted of murder in 1931 by the French courts and pardoned in 1970. He wrote the 1969 novel '' Papillon'', a memoir of his incarceration in and escape from a penal colony in French Guiana. While Charrière claimed that ''Papillon'' was largely true, modern researchers believe that much of the book's material came from other inmates, rather than Charrière himself. Charrière denied committing the murder, although he freely admitted to having committed various other petty crimes (notably when he was a procurer) prior to his incarceration. Biography Early life Charrière was born on 16 November 1906 at Saint-Étienne-de-Lugdarès, Ardèche, France. He had two older sisters. His mother died when he was ten. In 1923 at seventeen, he enlisted in the French Navy and served for two years. After that, he became a member of the Paris underworld. He later married and had a daughter. Imprisonment The ve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Devil's Island
The penal colony of Cayenne ( French: ''Bagne de Cayenne''), commonly known as Devil's Island (''Île du Diable''), was a French penal colony that operated for 100 years, from 1852 to 1952, and officially closed in 1953, in the Salvation Islands of French Guiana. Opened in 1852, the Devil's Island system received convicts from the Prison of St-Laurent-du-Maroni, who had been deported from all parts of the Second French Empire. It was notorious both for the staff's harsh treatment of detainees and the tropical climate and diseases that contributed to high mortality, with a death rate of 75 percent at its worst. Devil's Island was also notorious for being used for the exile of French political prisoners, with the most famous being Captain Alfred Dreyfus, who had been wrongly accused of spying for Germany. The Dreyfus affair was a scandal extending for several years in late 19th- and early 20th-century France. Excerpt from the ''People's Almanac'', posted at "trivia-library. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
French Guiana
French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west and Brazil to the east and south, French Guiana covers a total area of and a land area of . As of January 2025, it is home to 292,354 people. French Guiana is the second-largest Regions of France, region in France, being approximately one-seventh the size of metropolitan France, European France, and the largest Special member state territories and the European Union, outermost region within the European Union. It has a very low population density, with only . About half of its residents live in its capital, Cayenne. Approximately 98.9% of French Guiana is covered by forests, much of it Old-growth forest, primeval Tropical rainforest, rainforest. Guiana Amazonian Park, the largest national park in the European Union covers 41% of French ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically used on inland waterways such as rivers and lakes, or in protected coastal areas. However, some boats (such as whaleboats) were intended for offshore use. In modern Navy, naval terms, a boat is a vessel small enough to be carried aboard a ship. Boats vary in proportion and construction methods with their intended purpose, available materials, or local traditions. Canoes have been used since prehistoric times and remain in use throughout the world for transportation, fishing, and sport. Fishing boats vary widely in style partly to match local conditions. Pleasure boat, Pleasure craft used in boating, recreational boating include ski boats, Pontoon (boat), pontoon boats, and sailboats. House boats may be used for vacationing or long-term residence. Lighter (barge), L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leprosy
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damage may result in a lack of ability to feel pain, which can lead to the loss of parts of a person's Appendicular skeleton, extremities from repeated injuries or infection through unnoticed wounds. An infected person may also experience muscle weakness and poor eyesight. Leprosy symptoms may begin within one year, but for some people symptoms may take 20 years or more to occur. Leprosy is spread between people, although extensive contact is necessary. Leprosy has a low pathogenicity, and 95% of people who contract or who are exposed to ''M. leprae'' do not develop the disease. Spread is likely through a cough or contact with fluid from the nose of a person infected by leprosy. Genetic factors and i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leper Colony
A leper colony, also known by many other names, is an isolated community for the quarantining and treatment of lepers, people suffering from leprosy. '' M. leprae'', the bacterium responsible for leprosy, is believed to have spread from East Africa through the Near East, Europe, and Asia by the 5th century before reaching the rest of the world more recently. Historically, leprosy was believed to be extremely contagious and divinely ordained, leading to enormous stigma against its sufferers. Other severe skin diseases were frequently conflated with leprosy and all such sufferers were kept away from the general public, although some religious orders provided medical care and treatment. Recent research has shown ''M. leprae'' has maintained a similarly virulent genome over at least the last thousand years, leaving it unclear which precise factors led to leprosy's near elimination in Europe by 1700. A growing number of cases following the first wave of European colonization, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chacachacare
Chacachacare is an island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, located at 10° 41' north latitude and 61° 45' west longitude. The island is in area. It is one of the Bocas Islands, which lie in the ''Bocas del Dragón'' (''Dragons' Mouth'') between Trinidad and Venezuela. Chacachacare is the westernmost of the Bocas Islands which belong to Trinidad and Tobago. Patos Island, which lies further west, was part of Trinidad and Tobago until 1942, when it was ceded to Venezuela in exchange for Soldado Rock. History The island was spotted by Christopher Columbus on his third New World voyage on 12 August 1498, and his little fleet spent the night anchored in Monkey Harbour. He named the island 'Port of Cats' because he heard roars of what he thought were wildcats, mistaking the call of howler monkeys for wildcats. It has also been called "El Caracol" (the Snail) because of its shape. At various times in its history Chacachacare has served as a cotton plantation, a whaling sta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anthony Zerbe
Anthony Jared Zerbe (born May 20, 1936) is an American actor. His notable film roles include the post-apocalyptic cult leader Matthias in ''The Omega Man'', a 1971 film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel, '' I Am Legend''; as an Irish Catholic coal miner and one of the Molly Maguires in the 1970 film '' The Molly Maguires''; as a corrupt gambler in '' Farewell, My Lovely''; as the leper colony chief Toussaint in the 1973 historical drama prison film '' Papillon''; as Abner Devereaux in '' Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park''; as villain Milton Krest in the James Bond film ''Licence to Kill''; Rosie in '' The Turning Point''; Roger Stuart in '' The Dead Zone''; Admiral Dougherty in '' Star Trek: Insurrection''; and Councillor Hamann in ''The Matrix Reloaded'' and '' The Matrix Revolutions''. Life and career Zerbe was born in Long Beach, California, the son of Catherine (née Scurlock) and Arthur LeVan Zerbe. He went to Newport Harbor High School. He attended Pomona Coll ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Papillon (1973 Film)
''Papillon'' is a 1973 historical adventure drama prison film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. The screenplay by Dalton Trumbo and Lorenzo Semple Jr. was based on the 1969 autobiography by the French convict Henri Charrière. The film stars Steve McQueen as Charrière ("Papillon") and Dustin Hoffman as Louis Dega. Because it was filmed at remote locations, the film was quite expensive for the time ($12 million), but it earned more than twice that in its first year of release. The film's title is French for "Butterfly", referring to Charrière's tattoo and nickname. Plot Henri Charrière is a safecracker nicknamed "Papillon" because of the butterfly tattoo on his chest. In France, he is wrongly convicted of murdering a pimp in 1933 and is sentenced to life imprisonment in French Guiana. En route, he meets a fellow convict, Louis Dega, an infamous forger and embezzler. Papillon offers to protect Dega if he will fund the former's escape once they reach Guiana. Endur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Perigee Books
TarcherPerigee is a book publisher and imprint of Penguin Group focused primarily on mind, body and spiritualism titles, founded in 1973 by Jeremy P. Tarcher in Los Angeles. (Tarcher was married to ventriloquist Shari Lewis, and his sister was novelist Judith Krantz). History Tarcher began his career in publishing in the early 1960s, putting together packaged book deals for celebrities such as Phyllis Diller, Johnny Carson, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Buddy Hackett, and Joan Rivers, but changed direction after a retreat at the Esalen Institute, an early center of the human potential movement located in Big Sur, California. Receiving no interest from the New York publishing establishment in publishing books on these subjects, he began his own publishing venture, and went on to publish bestselling books from many previously-unknown authors working on health, psychology, philosophy, and New Age spiritutality. They include ''Joy's Way'' by W. Brugh Joy; " Drawing on the Right Side of the Br ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leprosy Activists
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damage may result in a lack of ability to feel pain, which can lead to the loss of parts of a person's Appendicular skeleton, extremities from repeated injuries or infection through unnoticed wounds. An infected person may also experience muscle weakness and poor eyesight. Leprosy symptoms may begin within one year, but for some people symptoms may take 20 years or more to occur. Leprosy is spread between people, although extensive contact is necessary. Leprosy has a low pathogenicity, and 95% of people who contract or who are exposed to ''M. leprae'' do not develop the disease. Spread is likely through a cough or contact with fluid from the nose of a person infected by leprosy. Genetic factors and i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
