Leprosy

LEPROSY. Moses Lev. xiii. xiv.mentions three Sorts of Leprosies, in Men, Houses, and Cloaths¹. A Leprosy in Men, is a Disease which affects the Skin, and sometimes increases in such a Manner, as to produce Scurf, Scabs, and violent Itchings, and corrupts the whole Mass of Blood. At other Times it is only a Deformity, and nothing more, as Hipponetus informs us², and as the Fathers call it³, where they are speaking of the Lepers in the Gospel cured by Jesus Christ. The Jews looked upon a Leprosy as a Disease sent from God, and Moses prescribes no natural Remedy for the Cure of it. He requires no more, than that the diseased Person should shew himself to the Priest, and that the Priest should judge of the Quality of his Leprosy; and if it appeared to be a real Leprosy, capable of being communicated to others, he separated the Leper from the Company of Mankind. He appoints certain Sacrifices and particular Ceremonies for the Purification of a Leper, and for the restoring him to civil Society, the Participation of Things holy, and the Conversation of other Men.

The different Marks which Moses gives for the better distinguishing a Leprosy, are Signs of the Increase of this Disease. An outward Swelling, a Pimple, a white Spot, bright, and somewhat reddish, created just Suspicions of a Man’s being attacked with it. When a bright Spot, something reddish or white appeared, and the Hair of that Place was of a pale Red, and the Place itself something deeper than the rest of the Skin; this was a certain Mark of a Leprosy. They who have treated of this Disease, have made the same Remarks, but have distinguished a growing Leprosy, from one already formed and become inveterate. A growing Leprosy may be healed, but an inveterate one is incurable. Travellers who have seen Lepers in the East say, that this Disease attacks principally the Feet. Prosper Alpinus says⁴, that it is very common in Egypt. Maundrell⁵, who had seen Lepers in Palestine says, that their Feet are swelled like those of Elephants, or Horses Feet eaten up with the Farcy. M. Tournefort, who had observed several in his Travels, believes a Leprosy to be nothing else but an inveterate Pox; and that the Generality recovered, if they were helped in Time.

The common Marks whereby Physicians tell us that an inveterate Leprosy may be discerned are these. It makes the Voice hoarse, like that of a Dog who has been barking a long Time, and the Voice comes through the Nose rather than the Mouth. The diseased Person’s Pulse is small and heavy, slow and disordered. His Blood abounds with white and bright Corpuscles, like Millet Seeds. It is all a scurfy Serum, without any of that Mixture which is natural to it; so that the Salt which any one puts into it cannot melt. It is so dry, that the Vinegar which is mixed with it bubbles up; it is so strongly knit together by imperceptible Threads, that calcinated Lead thrown into it will swim easily upon the Surface of it. The Urine of a Leper is undigested, settled, Ash-coloured and thick; the Sediment of it like Meal mixed with Bran. His Face is like a Coal half extinguished, shining, unctuous, bloated, thick set with very hard Pimples, with small Kernels round about the Bottom of them: His Eyes are red and inflamed, and sparkle like those of a Cat, they come forward out of his Head, but cannot be moved either to the right or left. His Ears are swelled and red, eaten up with Ulcers about the Root of them, and encompassed with small Kernels. His Nose sinks, because the Cartilage rots. His Nostrils are open, and the Passages stopped with some Ulcers at the Bottom. His Tongue is dry, black, swelled, ulcerated, shortened, divided by Ridges, and beset with little white Pimples. The Skin of it is uneven, hard and insensible; whether a Hole be made in it, or it is cut, instead of Blood, nothing but a putrified Liquor issues out of it.

The Nature and Causes of a Leprosy have been much argued upon. The Generality are of Opinion, that the Cause of it is inward, in the Blood and Humours; and that it does not appear outwardly, till it has corrupted every Thing within. Others are of Opinion that it is owing to some outward Cause. I think it necessary to distinguish two Sorts of Leprosies, one proceeding from some inward Corruption, the other got by outward Communication with a Leper. Corruption of the Blood may be in different Respects, the Cause, and Effect of a Leprosy. It is the Cause of it, when the Blood being inwardly corrupted, either by bad Diet, or some other Cause, produces such external Effects as are observable in Leprosies. Corruption of the Blood is the Effect of this Disease when it is caught by touching any Person, who is infected with it, or any Thing belonging to him; for a Leprosy is very easily communicipated; for which Reason Moses has taken so much Precaution, to prevent Lepers from having any Communication with Persons in good Health. And his Care extended so far, as even to dead Bodies thus infected, directing that they should not be buried with others.

2 Chr. xxvi. 23.We have endeavoured, in a Dissertation written purposely on this Subject, and printed before our Comment on Leviticus, to shew that Leprosies and other Diseases which have any Relation to it, are caused by an infinite Number of small imperceptible Worms, which creep in between the Skin and Flesh, and gnaw the Epidermis and Cuticula, and afterwards the Extremity of the Nerves and Flesh, and there produce at least all the Effects which are to be observed in the Beginning, Progress, and End of a Leprosy. We are of Opinion likewise, that the Venereal Disease is a kind of Leprosy, which the Ancients were but too well acquainted with, though they have not given it the same Name, nor ascribed the same Original to it, as we have to the French Disease. The Reader may see our Remarks upon Job’s Distemper.

The Leprosy of Houses, mentioned in Leviticus xiv. 34, and following Verses, must have been known to the Israelites, who had lived in Egypt, and must have been very common in the Land of Canaan, whither they were going, since Moses says to them: When ye come into the Land of Canaan which I give you for a Possession, if there be an House infected with a Leprosy, he to whom the House belongs, shall give Notice of it to the Priest, who shall go thither. If he sees as it were little Holes in the Wall, and Places disfigured with pale or reddish Spots, which in Sight are lower than the Wall, he shall go out of the House, and direct it to be shut up for seven Days. At the End of this Time, if he finds that the Leprosy is increased, he shall command the Stones infected with the Leprosy to be taken away, and thrown without the City into some unclean Place. New Stones shall be put in the Room of those which were plucked out, and the Wall shall be again rough -cast. If the Leprosy does not return, the House shall be thought clean; but if it returns, it is then an inveterate Leprosy; the House shall be declared unclean, and immediately be demolished: All the Wood, Stone, Mortar, and Dust shall be cast out of the City into an unclean Place.

The Rabbins and some others⁶ believed, that this Leprosy of Houses was not natural, but that it was a Punishment inflicted by God upon wicked Israelites. But we believe this kind of Leprosy to be caused by Worms which gnaw the Stones⁷: These Worms are black, about two Lines in [ 55 ] Length, and three Quarters of a Line broad, inclosed in a grayish Shell, with a very large Head, ten very black and very round Eyes, four kind of Jaws disposed like a Cross, which they are continually stirring, and open and shut like a Pair of Compasses with four Branches. The Mortar is eaten by an infinite Number of little Worms, which are somewhat black, about the Size of Mites in a Cheese, and like Mites, have four pretty long Feet on each Side.

The Leprosy in Clothes is likewise taken Notice of in Moses, as a Thing common in his Time. He speaks of it after this Manner: If any greenish or red Spots be observed upon any Woollen or Linnen Stuffs, or upon any Thing made of Skin, they shall be carried to the Priest, who shall shut them up for seven Days; and if at the End of this Time he takes Notice that these Spots increase, and spread, he shall burn them, as infected with a real Leprosy. If the Priest sees that these Spots are not increased, he shall command the Clothes to be washed; and in Case he afterwards observes nothing extraordinary in them, he shall declare them to be clean. If the greenish or red Spots still remain, he shall order the Garments so spotted to be burnt, as being unclean. If they spread and are increased, he shall likewise order the Garment to be burnt; lastly, if the Place suspected of a Leprosy seem to be in Colour like a singed Garment, and deeper than the rest; this Part of the Garment shall be pulled out, and the rest shall be preserved.

In Order to explain the Nature and Causes of this Leprosy in Clothes, we shall follow the same Hypothesis which we proposed concerning the Leprosy of Men and Houses; we are of Opinion, and Experience is a Confirmation of it, that Wool ill scowered, Stuffs kept too long, and some particular Tapistries in Auvergne, are subject to Worms and Moths which eat them. It is very credible, that the Leprosy in Clothes and Skins mentioned by Moses, was caused by this Sort of Vermin. In the hot Countries, and in Times when Arts and Manufactures were not carried to that Height of Perfection wherein we now see them, Stuffs and Works wrought in Wool were probably more exposed to Vermin, than they are in our Climates which are cooler; and in these Times, when Arts have been brought to so much Perfection by Experience and Industry.

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