174 Epidemics. 



far given as to describe its first appearance, and not its history 

 or course in the least ; since the object of the law re- 

 lating to leprosy was to exclude all contact of lepers with 

 healthy persons. It was one of those diseases of Egypt 

 which the Israelites had to a limited degree in Egypt ; and 

 it is plain that its spread by infection ought and would be 

 limited by isolation from the very first. And, secondly, that 

 if a national calamity, there was no special virtue, if it was 

 of Divine permission, why it should be increased by apathy 

 and stulted moral appreciation of that which was chastise- 

 ment from God, from that which was indifference to the rod 

 and Him who used it. 



Its fatal character is given us in the life of Uzziah, King 

 of Judah, whose leprosy was directly of Divine infliction, who 

 died a leper, and was buried apart in the burial-ground of the 

 Kings of Judah (II. Chron. xxvi. 16 23). His sons being 

 born antecedent to his disease, of course no hereditary taint 

 could be transmitted. But the curse upon Gehazi, that 

 " the leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, 

 and unto thy seed for ever" i.e., as long as his seed should 

 continue to beget, so long should leprosy appear in his 

 posterity, as for ever, here, means no more implies an 

 infliction more heavy than that which was usual to lepers ; 

 or, in other words, that in his family in particular it should 

 be hereditary. 



This also implies, what is now a mere matter of history, 

 that leprosy does not destroy the power of procreation ; it is 

 quite possible it may limit it, since at its early advent 

 victims of this disease are excessive in their sexual passions ; 

 hence one of its names, satyriasis. This peculiarity is given 

 by Aretaeus, and several Greek and Arabic writers. 



But it is a remarkable fact that in the Levitical institu- 

 tions not one word is said about the children of lepers, nor 

 yet a word about the divorcing of lepers, or isolating 



