Leprosy & Scrofula Flashcards
What disease describes the cellular deformity of nerves and other lesions including gradual disfiguration?
Leprosy
What is the general term for a long-lasting disease you live with?
Chronic disease
What are some symptoms of leprosy?
i) lesions first toughen tissues of the face
ii) loss of face and extremities
iii) narrowing of toes and joints
What were medieval perspectives on leprosy?
The disease was associated with moral pollution due to the mention of a repulsive, scaly-skin disease in the Old Testament
What was the Third Lateran Council”s role in leprosy?
Leprosy was the subject of significant legal and papal intervention. A priest, magistrate and a physician would conduct an examination of a leper and notice the community. The leper would declare themselves dead, kneel on the altar with a black sheet over their heads and throw dirt on themselves. They were then read prohibitions to follow them for the rest of their lives
What is a place to quarantine lepers?
Leprosaria
Why were lepers given alms?
Since they were “dead”, lepers lived in purgatory but were, therefore, closer to God than any other. Thus, lepers were an object of charity for the pious
What were some medical responses to leprosy?
- confession was therapeutic
- caused by a disorder of black bile
Why is leprosy significant?
It is significant to medieval understandings of the church, culture, and practices of the middle ages
What is the term for a form of non-pulmonary tuberculous?
Scrofula
What are some symptoms of scrofula?
- blotches on the skin and neck
- swollen lymph nodes (infected by bacteria)
What was a mechanism that kings used to display bother their religious and political powers?
Kings laid their hands on their subject and sometimes coins were given as a therapeutic emblem (cured yay)
