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arrives in Spinalonga as a patient.
His determination and need
to be treated with dignity gave
hope to all the inhabitants of
Spinalonga. Remboutakis realizes
that in Spinalonga, the law of the
jungle rules. The only solution
was to demand their rights, social
organisation and community life.
He founded the Brotherhood of
Spinalonga Patients, and initially
the patients demanded asbestos to
disinfect their homes. Gradually,
their demands grew and became
known throughout, new and more
modern accommodations were
built, while electricity generators
also arrived and a ring road was
constructed around the hospital to
accommodate disabled patients.
During the German Occupation, the Italian were forced to
supply the lepers themselves, as they had evacuated Plaka and
placed mines along the entire coastal area in fear of a British
invasion. The Germans also never set foot on the island for fear
of contamination, which contributed to the illegal operation of
resistance radio. In fact, the Director of the Hospital listened to
broadcasts from London and Cairo, copied the news and conveyed
them to the inhabitants. In 1948, the first drug to combat the
disease was discovered and the number of sufferers begins to
decline; but the lepers in Spinalonga work, get educated, fall in
love, get married, have healthy children, and live despite their
isolation and the stigma attached to their condition.
The hospital officially closed in 1957 and the island was abandoned

86 GREC14N 2019