Leprosy (T'"'^^,tsara'dth, a smiling, because sup- posed to be a direct visitation of heaven; Gr. XsTrpo, so called from its scaliness, hence English " leper," etc.), a name that was given by the Greek jihysicians to a scaly disease of the skin. During the Dark Ages it was indis- criminately applied to all chronic diseases of the skin, and more particularly to elephantiasis, to which latter, however, it docs not bear the slightest resemblance. Hence prevailed the greatest discrepancy and confusion in the descriptions that authors gave of the disease, un- til Dr.Wnian restored to the term lepra its original sig- nification. In the Scriptiu-es it is applied to a foul cu- taneous disease, the description of which, as well as the regulations connected therewith, are given in Lev. xiii, xiv (comp. also Exod. iv, 6, 7; Numb, xii, 10-15 ; 2 Sam. iii,29; 2 Kings v, 27; vii, 3; xv, 5; Matt, viii, 2; x, 8, etc.). In the discussion of this subject we base our ar- ticle upon that of Ginsburg, in Kitto's Cyclopcedia, but with extensive additions and modifications from other sources.
I. Scriptural and Talmudical Statements. — (I.) Leprosy in Human Beings. — 1. Cases and Symjjtejms of Bihliccd Leprosy. — Lev. xiii, 2-44, which describes this distem- per as laying hold of man, gives six different circum- stances under which it may develop itsel£ They are as follows :
(1.) The first circumstance mentioned in Lev. xiii, 2-6 is that it may develop itself without any apparent cause. Hence it is enjoined that if anj- one should no- tice a rising or swelling (r.N?l'), an eruption or scab (rnao), or a glossy pimple (n~in3) in the skin of his flesh, which may terminate in leprosy (r""i:i), he is at once to be taken to the priest, who is to examine it and pronounce it leprosy, and the man unclean, if it exhibits these two symptoms, viz. a, the hair of the affected spot
LEPROSY
372
LEPROSY
changed from its natural black color to white; and, 6, the s])Ot deeper than, the general level of the skin of the hudy (^vcr. "2. 3 ). I5ut if these two symptoms do not ap- ])ear in the bright pimiile, the priest is to shut him up fur seven days, examine him again on the seventh day, .•;nd if the disease appears to have made no progress (hiring this time, he is to remand the patient for another seven days (ver. 4,5), and then, if on inspecting it again lie finds that the bright spot lias grown darker (nnz), and that it has not spread on the skin, he is to pro- nounce it a simple scab (PnSD'a mED), and the per- son clean after washing his garments (ver. C). If, how- ever, the pustule spreads over the skin after it has been pronounced a simple scab and the individual clean, the ]iriest is to declare it leprosy, and the patient unclean ( ver. 7, 8 ). It is thus evident that the symptoms which indicated scriptural leprosy, as the Mishna rightly re- marks {Xegaim, iii, 3), are bright pimples, a little de- ]ircsscd, turning the hair white, and spreading over the i.kin.
As the description of these symptoms is very concise, and requires to be specilied more minutely for practical purposes, the spiritual guides of Israel defined them as follows : Both the bright pimple (rriil2) and the swell- ing spot (rX'13), when indicative of lepros}-, assume re- spectively one of two colors, a principal or a subordinate one. The principal color of the bright pimple is as ■white as snow (3>'UD HT"), and the subordinate resem- bles plaster on the wall (h'Z'^'nT^ 1'^'OZ) ; whilst the principal color of the rising spot is like that of an egg- shell (iljin D1"ip2), and the secondary one resembles white wool ("pb "n^D, Negaim, i, 1) ; so that if the af- fected spot in the skin is inferior in whiteness to the film of an egg it is not leprosy, but simply a gathering (Maimouides, On Leprosy, i, 1 j. Any one may examine the disease, except the patient himself or his relatives, but the priest alone can decide whether it is leprosy or not, and accordingly pronounce the patient unclean or clean, because Deut, xxi, 5 declares tliat the priest must decide cases of litigation and disease. But though the priest only can pronounce the decision, even if he be a child or a fool, yet he must act upon the advice of a learned layman in those matters {Negaim, iii, 1 ; Mai- monides, l. c, ix, 1, 2). If the priest is blind of one eye, or is weak-sighted, he is disqualified for examining the distemper (Mishna, I. c, ii,3). The inspection must not take place on the Sabbath, nor early in the morning, nor in the middle of the day, nor in the evening, nor on cloudy days, because the color of the skin cannot prop- erly be ascertained in these hours of the day; but in the third, fourth, tilth, seventh, eighth, or ninth hour (Xe- gaim, ii, 2) ; and the same priest who inspected it at first must examine it again at the end of the second seven days, as another one could not teU whether it has spread. If he should die in tlie interim, or be taken ill, another one may examine him, but not pronounce him unclean (Maimonides, On Leprosy, ix, 4). There must be at least two hairs white at the root and in t'ne body of the bright spot before the patient can be declared unclean (Maimonides, /. c, ii, 1). If a bridegroom is seized with this distemper he must be left alone during the nuptial ■week (A>//ui/», iii, 2).