Leprosy

Opinion only: There are two types of leprosy: tuberculoid and lepromatous. Both forms cause skin sores and peripheral nerve damage; however, tuberculoid is less severe than lepromatous leprosy. (Source: Natural Standard International Research) Management of leprosy is aimed at stopping infection and minimizing potential physical deformities. First-line antibiotics used to eliminate organisms include dapsone, rifampicin and clofazimine. Varying regimens are used depending on the type of leprosy and the severity of infection. This may be a combination of two or three antibiotics given over varying lengths of time. Other antibiotics include minocycline, ofloxacin and clarithromycin. Patient education is paramount. Leprosy can be cured, but it is essential to take the full course of medication.

God healed Naaman's leporsy by having him bathe in the Jordan river 7 times. Naaman was told this by Gehazi, who was Elisha's assistant. 14:2 This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest: 14:3 And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper; 14:4 Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean , and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: 14:5 And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water: 14:6 As for the living bird, he shall take it , and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water: 14:7 And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field. 14:8 And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days. 14:9 But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean. 14:10 And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil. 14:11 And the priest that maketh him clean shall present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: 14:12 And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering , and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: 14:13 And he shall slay the lamb in the place where he shall kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the holy place: for as the sin offering is the priest's, so is the trespass offering: it is most holy: 14:14 And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot: 14:15 And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand: 14:16 And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD: 14:17 And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering: 14:18 And the remnant of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD. 14:19 And the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed from his uncleanness; and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering: 14:20 And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon the altar: and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and he shall be clean. 14:21 And if he be poor, and cannot get so much; then he shall take one lamb for a trespass offering to be waved, to make an atonement for him, and one tenth deal of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering, and a log of oil; 14:22 And two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get; and the one shall be a sin offering, and the other a burnt offering. 14:23 And he shall bring them on the eighth day for his cleansing unto the priest, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, before the LORD. 14:24 And the priest shall take the lamb of the trespass offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: 14:25 And he shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot: 14:26 And the priest shall pour of the oil into the palm of his own left hand: 14:27 And the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD: 14:28 And the priest shall put of the oil that is in his hand upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the place of the blood of the trespass offering: 14:29 And the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, to make an atonement for him before the LORD. 14:30 And he shall offer the one of the turtledoves, or of the young pigeons, such as he can get; 14:31 Even such as he is able to get, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, with the meat offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed before the LORD. 14:32 This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, whose hand is not able to get that which pertaineth to his cleansing. 14:33 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 14:34 When ye be come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession; "I put the plague of leprosy in a house" God "put the plague of leprosy" into the houses of the Canaanites. 14:35 And he that owneth the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, It seemeth to me there is as it were a plague in the house: 14:36 Then the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest go into it to see the plague, that all that is in the house be not made unclean: and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house: 14:37 And he shall look on the plague, and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow strakes, greenish or reddish, which in sight are lower than the wall; 14:38 Then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days: 14:39 And the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look: and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house; 14:40 Then the priest shall command that they take away the stones in which the plague is, and they shall cast them into an unclean place without the city: 14:41 And he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and they shall pour out the dust that they scrape off without the city into an unclean place: 14:42 And they shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones; and he shall take other morter, and shall plaister the house. 14:43 And if the plague come again, and break out in the house, after that he hath taken away the stones, and after he hath scraped the house, and after it is plaistered; 14:44 Then the priest shall come and look, and, behold, if the plague be spread in the house, it is a fretting leprosy in the house; it is unclean. 14:45 And he shall break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the morter of the house; and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place. 14:46 Moreover he that goeth into the house all the while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even. 14:47 And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes; and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes. 14:48 And if the priest shall come in, and look upon it, and, behold, the plague hath not spread in the house, after the house was plaistered: then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed. 14:49 And he shall take to cleanse the house two birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: 14:50 And he shall kill the one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water: 14:51 And he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times: 14:52 And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet: God's law for lepers: Get two birds. Kill one. Dip the live bird in the blood of the dead one. Sprinkle the blood on the leper seven times, and then let the blood-soaked bird fly away. Next find a lamb and kill it. Wipe some of its blood on the patient's right ear, thumb, and big toe. Sprinkle seven times with oil and wipe some of the oil on his right ear, thumb and big toe. Repeat. Finally find another pair of birds. Kill one and dip the live bird in the dead bird's blood. Wipe some blood on the patient's right ear, thumb, and big toe. Sprinkle the house with blood 7 times. That's all there is to it.

The above verses indicate ceremonial cleansing and sacrifice which signified what God had already done, by whatever means. It must also be remembered that leprosy also included a variety of skin complaints, which apparently were not that uncommon. The priests were not then actually involved in any healing as such, but certainly had to certify if a person was healed of their disease, whether it was a natural remission or otherwise.

These disorders typically affect middle-aged to older people and are most common in patients with lung, ovarian, lymphatic, or breast cancer.

There generally was no cure before they recognized the cause. Bleeding, herbal potions, etc., were used, usually death was the final cure. Those who lived were simply able to overcome the disease on their own. As far as venereal diseases, syphilis was especially disastrous because outward systems disappeared and when it hit the nervous system and the person became "mad" or psychotic they were locked up until they died. With others they would use a red hot rod and insert it up the penis. This likely had a poor outcome with scar tissue creating a temporary lack of feeling. Women were less lucky, they would develop pelvic inflammatory disease and die of sepsis. Sepsis, or infection was a big killer before antibiotics.

In Israel, they were 'quarantined' or kept outside of the main community. Leviticus 13 & 14 address skin communicable diseases and the priests instructions on how to cleanse the infected ones. See link below for further discussion.

U.S.A.C.D

Leprosy is not caused by lifestyle choices. Leprosy is a contagious disease that affects the skin. Contagious diseases aren't caused by lifestyle choices, however the person may be at higher risk.

Yes, St Stephens Green in Dublin was once a leper colony.

Sadly, she died an early death at the age of 24. She was unmarried.

it started in Israel

LEPROSY "worse than acne)

It is mentioned in the Bible but the earliest known physical case of Leprosy is a 4000 year old skeleton found in India in 2009.

In Israel, they were 'quarantined' or kept outside of the main community. Leviticus 13 & 14 address skin communicable diseases and the priests instructions on how to cleanse the infected ones. See link below for further discussion.

From the Middle Ages onwards in Europe and later in America, people with Hansen's Disease (leprosy) were often sent to quarantine camps, sometimes called leper colonies.

Skin, nerves, Limbs, Eyes, mucosa of Upper respiratory tract.

WHO/LEP, Action Programme for the Elimination of Leprosy. 20 Avenue Appia CH-1211, Geneva 27, Suisse. http://www.who.ch/programmes/lep/lep_home.htm

God healed Naaman. It was Naaman's faith (and subsequent obedience) that made him whole. It was a team effort...

Because isolating people with a fatal disease is cruelty. It is better to cure them then to let them fester and die.

NOT AN EXPERT

ringworm

3 broken legs/hr