Following her return to the UK she set about implementing her resolve to assist raising the required monies and gaining support for the building of her leper colony in Yakutia.
Initially she was hailed as a compassionate hero, and presented to Queen Victoria. Contributions flooded in, and she became one of the first female Fellows of he Royal Geographical Society.
Within a year however, public opinion swung against her. She was accused of embezzlement from the charitable fund, of having leprosy herself, and even of fabricating the entire journey. She was charged with 'poor accounting'. Although she was exonerated of all charges, her reputation never recovered and she never returned to Siberia.
A hospital and leper colony was built six years after she left. They were designed by Kate the buildings and the colony. It was operational until 1962. The villages of Sosnovka now occupies the site but many of the original wooden buildings have survived. The old dormitory buildings are used as houses, and the former hospital is not the village hall and the storage house I sa nursery school. The villagers are the children of the men and women who once staffed the hospital and colony.
No comments:
Post a Comment