The leper is who? About the history of the disease

Probably, no one needs to explain who is a leper or leper. These are people who suffer from leprosy - a serious infectious chronic disease that affects the skin, nervous system, eyes and some internal organs. This word came in Russian from the Late Latin language, where it sounds like leprosus, which is consonant with the Latin leprosorium.

In medical terms, a leper or leper is a patient who has a chronic granulomatosis caused by microbacteria Mycobacterium lepromatosis and Mycobacterium leprae.

History of leprosy

This disease has been known since ancient times and is mentioned in the Bible. Hyppocrates wrote about leprosy, but he probably confused her with psoriasis. In ancient India, they also knew about leprosy. And in the Middle Ages a lot of leprosariums appeared, as the disease passed into the stage of the epidemic. Thus, in the thirteenth century, according to Matvey Paris, the English historian, Benedictine, chronicler, in Europe, the number of lepers was 19 thousand people. The first known well enough became the leper colony of St. Nicholas in Harbledown, in the county of Kent, England.

In the Middle Ages, a leper or leper is an outcast of society, doomed to death in terrible agony. Such a person was placed in a leper colony, sort of like to cure. But in fact, it was a quarantine, from which few people managed to get out alive. The fact is that leprosy is transmitted through discharge from the mouth and nose during frequent and close contacts with people. And in leprosarium contacts are more than close and frequent.

Leprosy in the modern world

In the 1990s, the leprosy population in the world declined from 10-12 million to 1.8 million leprosy. The leprosy is mainly distributed in tropical countries where nature has created suitable living conditions for microbacteria. Although the incidence has decreased, this disease is still quite widespread in India, Nepal, parts of Brazil, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar and the West Pacific. The World Health Organization in 2000 published a list of countries with disease outbreaks. Burma ranks third in terms of the number of infected, Brazil - the second, and India - the first.

It is important to know that the incubation period for leprosy is very long, on average 4-6 years, and sometimes prolonged for 10-15 years. The duration of drug therapy, depending on the degree and severity of the disease, can last from 3 to 10 years.

The book "The Lepers"

People suffering from this disease became heroes of literary works. So, in 1959 the novel of Georgiy Shilin "The Lepers" was reissued. The book describes the life of the leprosarium. It should be said that the author himself visited this institution on several occasions, visiting a sick friend there, and even lived there.

"Leper" is a story about the fate of various people who were in one place - in the leper colony. Each story touches and shakes to the core. Heroes are many, but the character of each is unique - they are difficult to get confused. So, the head doctor of the leprosarium, Dr. Turkeev, belongs to a rare type of people who are not interested in fame or money, and who give themselves all to serving the chosen cause. Gratis (unfortunately, now forgotten word). Shilin's style is beautiful, emotional, bright, expressive.

In Poland in 1976, the film "Leprosy" was shot. This is a love story of a simple girl and a nobleman who will not leave anyone indifferent.

Finally, we note that leprosy, photos of which can be found in sufficient numbers on the Internet, are affected to a varying degree by this disease, and sometimes one does not see that he is ill. Therefore, observe the rules of personal hygiene, avoid close contact with people who are suspicious, especially if you are on holiday in tropical countries. Be healthy!