The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-09-27
Lsprosv Of the Bible, and Its Present
Existence In North America.

Lsprosv Of the Bible, and its Present
Existence In North America.
BT ,. JOY JKrrRrfs, AM, MD, BOSTON.
To most Of my readers the word leprosy
Is probably associated with some vague
idea Of . terrible disease spoken Of in the
Bible a. existing among the Jews during
their Egyptian life and following them
into Judea whilst mention of it in the
New Testament proves that they was still
afflicted with it during the time Of our
l propose, therefore, to give
my readers q short sketch Of the malady
itself, and explain where on the earth's
surface it Is now prevalent. a. well -
where in North America it may unfor.
tunately still be seen.
First of all must premise by saying,
that while as dermatologist recognise
in the Bible, for instance, q perfect des-
cription of leprosy as it exists at present
in many parts of the world, yet l consider
that many other cutaneous affections now
perfectly understood, were included in
the biblical accounts, which have natural.
ly been much confused by the various
translators being unacquainted with the
diseases spoken Of and unable to reproduce
the sketches of them in Ineligible Ian.
guage. This point is now too we'll under.
stood and appreciated to need any discus.
sion here. speak of it only because it
must be remembered.
The medical name for the leprosy we
are discussing,is Elephantiasis Grccorum
to distinguish it from an entirely different
affection, Elephantiasis Arabum, the two
having been confounded by the ignorance
Of translators. Now, then, what is true
leprosy, or Elephantians Goecorum, the
Greek elephant disease? It Is disease
Of the blood Of unknown origin, which
shows itself by the collecting Of an
material in the skin, the
mucous membranes and tissues of the
body, or by invading the nerves and tho
nervous centres. We thus have two
forms of its manifestation, which are dis.
by the terms tn6ercular and
In the 6rst, the most
chai acteristic symptom is the Jumps and
nodes in the skin, and in the latter, the
ct cetera, due to the invasion
Of the nerves and nervous centres. In
both forms the affection 10 very chronic,
lasting from nine to eighteen years, be.
fore death finally comes to relieve the
sufferer from his misery. Tubercular
leprosy commences by the appearance Of
dull red or purplish patches or Jumps on
the skin, and the mucous membrane of
the mouth, throat, nose and eyes. As
they progress, the patches are harder in
the centre. and Of brownish color; the
nodes or tubercles are dull red to pur.
plish, and finally assuming = bronsed hue,
till the substance deposited in them gives
them a whitish color. After months,
they may subside, leaving thinner whit.
ish cicatrix. When they break down,
large cutaneous ulcers are formed, one
healing whilst others form. This same
morbid process goes on in the mouth,
throat. and wiudpipe. and the deposit in.
vades the internal organs Of the body.
gradually wearing out the sufferer, on an
average, within nine and . half years.
The discolored and wrinkled forehead the
prominent. tuberculated, bald eyebrows,
the bronsed skin, congested eyes, thicken.
ed eyelids and lips, the large, red, and
ears. all form hideous pic.
ture, which makes the unfortunate leper
resemble the poets description of satyr.
The anesthetic form Of leprosy is char.
acterised by nervous symptoms, languor,
lassitude, dullneas, depression. pale and
shrunken skin, anxious countenance. soft
and aabby muscles; in general terms,
insensibility and atrophy. We have
white patches and large blister-like bub.
bles breaking down into cutaneous ulcers,
which. healing, leave white oioatrices.
Extensive surfaces of the skin beco me
reddened with prickling pain, and the
skin il left pale and insensible, like
parchment. The face becomes wasted
and oadaverous, the jaw dropping from
muscular atrophy. The hands become
thin. paralysed. the fingers bent the
same with the feet and toes. Later. .
spot appears over . joint Of the hand OF
foot, breaking down into an open ulcer.
exposing the bone. and finally the whole
bone is thrown of, reducing gradually the
hand or foot to nero stumps. The inter.
nal organs are effected, the eyeballs de-
stroysd, the surface on parts Of the body
becomes insensible to the knife, or even
live Goals. The patient is worn out by
the disease. sinking. at general average
of some eighteen and half years. These
two forms ofleprosy run separate courses
but are sometimes. 80 to speak, united
the same person exhibiting symptoms oi
each. Occasionally they run an acute
course, destroying the patient in few
years. Its almost certain fatality, it,
lingering character and fitful course, it
fearful Disagreement. and, we regret t.
add, the ignorance and superstition re
garding it, render leprosy the mos
dreaded chronic malady that Affects man
kind. This rough sketch OF what it doe
tn mans body will perhnps explain to IN,
readers why it is 30 dreaded. and interes
them 10 my outline Of where and wheI
this horrible malady has scourged tn
human inhabitants Of the world, and,
trust, also induces them to have more "a
tional ideas in reference to the care an
treatment of lepers than that which un
fortunately still prevails in many civilire'
countries.
The same leprosy yet 80 prevalent i
many parts of the world is spoken Of a
affecting the Jews during their four-ceu
tury sojourn in Egypt. They carried il
of course, into Palestine. The writing
Of Moses, the Books Of Kings, and th
Chronicles, show how the people wer
afflicted by this disease. The New TIE.
lament speaks Of its prevalence durin
our Ssviour's time. In Greese, Aristotl
perhaps meant leprosy by bis satyria. b.
Arsteus and Archigenes gave the FRI
exact descrintion. In Italy. the Roman