Aycock and Gordon,1 in a study of leprosy among American veterans, predicted in 1947 that an appreciable increase of cases would result from service in endemic areas during World War II. Levan2 in 1954 reported a case and stated that similar instances may be anticipated during the next 30 or more years in veterans of both World War II and the Korean campaign who served in endemic regions.
Aycock based his predictions on experiences with veterans of the Spanish-American War, in whom leprosy appeared from 3 to 32 years after exposure. The durations of stay in the foreign foci ranged from 9 months to 32 years. No definite information is available as to the nature of the actual exposures. He stated "in this regard, concerning persons first exposed in adult life, it would appear that neither the length nor the intimacy of exposure is a major