CHAPTER II. 

 LEPROSY. 



Bacillus Leprae (Hansen). 1 



Leprosy is a disease of great antiquity, and very early 

 received much attention and study. In giving the laws 

 to Israel, Moses included a large number of rules for its 

 recognition, the isolation of the sufferers, the determina- 

 tion of recovery, and observances to be fulfilled before 

 the convalescent could once more mingle with his people. 

 The Bible is replete with accounts of miracles wrought 

 upon lepers, and during the times of biblical tradition it 

 must have been an exceedingly common and malignant 

 disease. 



At the present time, although we in the Northern 

 United States hear very little about it, leprosy is still a 

 widespread disease. It exists in much the same form as 

 two thousand years ago in Palestine, Syria, Egypt, and 

 the adjacent countries. It is exceedingly common in 

 China, Siam, and parts of India. Cape Colony has many 

 cases. In Europe, Norway, Sweden, and parts of the 

 Mediterranean coast furnish a considerable number of 

 cases. Certain islands, especially the Sandwich Islands, 

 are regular hot-beds for its maintenance. The United 

 States is not exempt, the Gulf coast being chiefly af- 

 fected. 



At one time the view was prevalent that the disease 

 was spread only by contagion, at another that it was 

 miasmatic. At present the tendency is to view it as 

 contagious to a degree rather less than tuberculosis. 

 Sometimes it is hereditary. 



The cause of leprosy is now pretty certainly deter- 

 mined to be the lepra bacillus (Fig. 72), which was dis- 



1 Virchow's Archives, 1879. 

 336 



