SOME DISEASES MENTIONED IN THE EIBLE. 263 



harmless and ephemeral eruption would often be brought to 

 the priest by anxious or officious relations or neighbours. It 

 is significant that the suspected person is not ordered to come 

 to the priest, but to be brought. 



The signs of a non-malignant or " clean " eruption were 

 (ver. 6) that after a period of seven or fourteen days the spot 

 was not deeper than the skiu, did not spread, had no white 

 hair in it, and Avas fading away (nni, " somewhat dark," 

 A.V.). This was merely " a scab," sapakhafh, in which term, 

 as already mentioned, many forms of skin affection might be 

 included. But if this " scab " spread much abroad (ver. 8), it 

 becameunclean,even though it had no other unfavourable sign. 



Inverses 9-11 directions are given as to a "rising" in 

 Avhich the hair is turned white, and in which " quick, raw 

 flesh." that is, excoriation or ulceration, had appeared. 

 Whether this is the same disease as that of verse 3 it is not 

 easy to determine. Probably it was. It is important to 

 remember that the Lawgiver is treating the matter judicially, 

 and that doubtless every effort would be made by afflicted 

 persons to escape condemnation as unclean. The appearance 

 of a pimple, pustule, or sore in an " old leprosy " might lead 

 to the supposition that there had been a mistake in the 

 diagnosis, that the case Avas not really one of tzar'aath, and 

 hence a fresh appeal to the priest was enjoined, when the 

 case was at once condemned if white hau-s and raw flesh 

 were present. 



That a local outbreak of tzaraatk in the skin should be 

 unclean, and that when it had covered all the skin it was to 

 be pronounced clean (vers. 12, 13), seems at first somewhat, 

 puzzling. The explanation probably is that although, like 

 all skin eruptions, it was regarded as unclean whilst 

 spreading, for spreading was always an evil sign, it ceased 

 to be so when it could no longer spread. There is no 

 mention of white hairs in this case, which seems to be, 

 not the severe and malignant lence, but a form of " white 

 disease," leucopat/da or albinism, which is common in warm 

 countries and is not of a malignant chai-acter, although 

 unsightly, especially Avhen portions only of the skin are 

 turned Avhite. Albinoes are usually born such, but in other 

 instances the whiteness of the skin {leucoderma) comes on 

 later in life, gradually spreading over the whole body.* 



* Diseases of the Skin. Erasmus "Wilson. London, 1847. P. 701. lb. 

 H. Eadcliffe Crocker. London, 1893. P. 183. 



