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 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 p ...

from the French penal colony of

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 Islan ...

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 ...

. 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 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 s ...

. Toussaint was a Frenchman, and is believed to have himself served time at

. He contracted

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, respir ...

, most likely while in the penal colony. Toussaint was sent to a

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 ...

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 ...

, 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 Irish Ca ...

under heavy makeup in the film '' Papillon'' (1973).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toussaint Leprosy activists 1890s births Year of birth uncertain 20th-century deaths Year of death unknown