The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-07-17
LEPROSY.
characteristics of the Disease in Ancient


Times.
This disease has always been peculiar
to warm climates, and in such. espe-
clally IN Egypt. and other regions of the
east, it is still found agreeing in all it's
general symptoms win the descriptions
of its ancient character as left in the
Bible by Moses.
The disease seems to commence deep
in the system of the body, and gener-
ally acquires thorough settlement in
the person of its victim before it dis
covers itself on the outward skin. 1t
may lie thus concealed even for a num-
Der of years, especially when it is seated
in the constitution by birth, as it often
is, when it d0es not commonly unfold
its outward symptoms until the child is
grown up to years of maturity. After
| its appearance, too, it does not proceed
with any rapid ruin. Not until q num-
Der of years does it reach its full per-
fection of disorder, and not until num-
Der more have passed away does this
disorder terminate in death. A leprous
person may live twenty or thirty, or if
he receives the disease with his birth,
forty or even fifty years, but years of
such drradful misery must they be, that
early death might seem to be better.
The horribly malady advances with
slow but certain steps, from one stage of
evil to another, diffusing its poison
through the whole frame while the prin-
ciple of life is still suffered to linger in
the midst of the desolation, and one
after another the pillars of strength are
secretly undermined and carried away
till the spirit finds, ere yet she can es-
cape from its imprisonment, the house
of her earthly tabernacle literally
crumbling on every side into dissolu-
tion and dust. The bones and the mar
row are pervaded with the disease SO
that the joints of the hands and feet
gradually lose their powers, and the
limbs of the body fall together in such
a manner as to give most deformed
and dreadful appearance TO the whole
person. There is form of the disor.
der known in some places in which the
joints beginning with the furthest of
the fingers and toessAone after another
separate and fall of, and the miserable
sEfferer slowly falls in pieces to the
grave. Outwardly the leprosy discov-
ers itself in a number of small spots
which generally appear first on the face |
time on other parts of the body till it is |
all covered over. At first these spots |
have the appearance of small reddish |
pimples, but they gradually spread in |
size till after some years they become |
as large as pea or bean on the surface |
which they cover. When scratched, as |
their itchy character constantly solic- |
It's, thin moisture oozes out of them |
which soon dries and hardens into |
scaly crust, so that when the disease |
reaches its perfect state the whole body |
becomes covered with a foul whitish |
scurf.
Particular directions were given in |
the law of Moses to distinguish the
spot of the real leprosy, from others
that might resemble it in appearance.
These are contained in the thirteenth
chapter of Leviticus. There are vari-
GUS kinds of leprosy, some more malig
nant and loathsome than others. Ac-
cording to the appearance of its spots it
is called by different name. There is a
white, black, and red leprosy. This
shocking disease is contagious, SO that
it is dangerous to have much intercourse
with leprous persons. On this account
it was wisely ordered among the Jews
that such should dwell alone "all the
days wherein the plague should be in
them," and should be held uncleau so
that no one might touch them without
defilement. Hence too, it was so strictly
enioined that the earliest appearance of
anything like the spot of leprosy should
be Immediately and thoroughly ex-
amined.
The leper in whom the plague was
really to exist was required
also to distinguish himself by having
MS clothes rent, his head bare, and his
lip covered (all of which were common
signs of deep sorrow, and to warn 9TH
srs coming near him by crying out,
Unclean, uncleanl Lev. xiii. 45, 46.
The leprosy is still more fearful as it
nay be handed down from one genera
ion to another by birth. The leprosy
IF father descends to lis SOD, and
even to his grandchildren of the third
md fourth generations, assuming in
Iced milder form as it passes down,
put still showing some of its disagreea- [
Die effects in each successive case. The
eprosy was regarded among the Jews
Is disease sent in a peculiar manner
rom the hand of God, and designed to
mark his displeasure against some great I
lin found in the person who suffered its
Ner was this idea without
Iome support in the dispensations of
Judgment which their history recorded,
md in the especial solemnity with
which that disease is noticed in the
Levitical law.