Leprosy 1873 – God's Curse

In 1948, British physician Ernest Muir wrote: 

"Leprosy is the most feared disease, not because it kills, but because it leaves people suffering. Eyes that will not open, a drooling mouth, clawed hands, limping feet, and eyes heading toward blindness—this is the picture that comes to mind." 

Some people believed the disease reflected God's curse on sinners, while others thought it was hereditary. The disease primarily affects the skin, peripheral nerves, and mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. If untreated, nerve damage and the resulting numbness could cause people to injure their hands or feet repeatedly, leading to deformities over time. Historically, people disfigured in this way and called "lepers" were often mistreated, excluded from society, and placed in colonies.

A 4,000-year-old skeleton found in India showed patterns of erosion suggestive of leprosy, leading to the idea that the disease may have originated there. By 1200, there were approximately 19,000 leprosy hospitals in Europe. In 1873, Norwegian physician G. H. Armauer Hansen discovered that leprosy was caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium leprae —the first bacterium recognized as causing a disease in humans— .

Hansen's attempts to study the bacteria were unsuccessful: he could not infect test animals such as rabbits, nor could he grow the bacteria in artificial cultures, since they lacked many of the genes needed to survive without a host. Desperate to understand leprosy better, Hansen attempted to inoculate bacteria into the eye of a woman with leprosy without her permission. In 1880, she sued him, and he was removed from his position as chief physician of the Bergen leprosy hospital. Fortunately, scientists eventually discovered that the bacteria could be grown in mouse footpads and nine-banded armadillos. 

In fact, most adults are immune to the disease. The disease, which can spread through mucus from the nose and throat, may take several years to develop after initial contact. 

Today, leprosy is treatable using dapsone, rifampicin and clofazimine as a three-drug combination.

Description of the Article Image: A depiction of a person with leprosy.

Historical Figures Mentioned in This Article: Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen (1841–1912),

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