Probably no one needs to explain who the leper or leper is. These are people with leprosy - a serious infectious chronic disease that affects the skin, nervous system, eyes and some internal organs. This word came to the Russian language 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 been diagnosed with chronic granulomatosis caused by the microbacteria Mycobacterium lepromatosis and Mycobacterium leprae.
Leprosy history
The named disease is known since ancient times and is mentioned in the Bible. Hippocrates wrote about leprosy, but he probably confused it with psoriasis. Ancient India also knew about leprosy. And in the Middle Ages , many leprosoria appeared, since the disease passed into the epidemic stage. So, in the XIII century, according to Matthew of Paris, an English historian, Benedictine, chronicler, in Europe the number of lepers was 19 thousand people. The first well-known was the leper colony of St. Nicholas in Harbldown, in the county of Kent, England.
In the Middle Ages, a leper or a leper is an outcast of society, doomed to die in terrible agony. Such a person was placed in a leper colony, sort of in order to cure. But in fact, it was quarantine, from which rarely anyone managed to get out alive. The fact is that leprosy is transmitted through discharge from the mouth and nose during frequent and close contact with people. And in the leper colony, contacts are more than close and frequent.
Leprosy in the modern world
In the 90s of the last century, the number of lepers in the world decreased from 10-12 million people to 1.8 million. Leprosy is mainly distributed in tropical countries, where nature created suitable conditions for the life of microbacteria. Although the incidence rate has decreased, this disease is still quite widespread in India, Nepal, parts of Brazil, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar and the West Pacific. In 2000, the World Health Organization published a list of countries with foci of the disease. Burma is third in terms of the number of infected, Brazil is second and India is first.
It is important to know that the incubation period of leprosy is very long, on average 4-6 years, and sometimes drags on 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 Leper Book
People suffering from the named disease became the heroes of literary works. So, in 1959, the novel by George Shilin “Lepers” was reprinted. The book describes the life of a leper colony. It should be said that the author himself repeatedly visited this institution, visiting a sick friend there, and even lived there.
“Lepers” is a story about the fate of various people who ended up in one place - in a leper colony. Each story touches and shakes to the core. There are a lot of heroes, but the character of each is unique - it is difficult to get confused in them. So, the head physician of the leper colony, Dr. Turkeev, belongs to a rare type of people who are not interested in either fame or money, and who devote themselves entirely to serving the chosen cause. Gratis (unfortunately, now forgotten word). Shilin's style is beautiful, emotional, vibrant, expressive.
In Poland, in 1976, the film "The Leper" was shot. This is a love story of a simple girl and a noble nobleman who will not leave anyone indifferent.
In conclusion, we note that lepers, photos of which can be found in sufficient quantities on the Internet, are affected by this disease to varying degrees, and sometimes it is not clear from a person that he is sick. Therefore, follow the rules of personal hygiene, avoid close contacts with people who are suspicious, especially if you are on vacation in tropical countries. Be healthy!