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leprosy

The hands of a person with leprosy. Source: paul salmon/EyeEm / Adobe Stock

Leprosy Was Treated with Ass Fat, Bull Gallbladder and Steamed Flies!

It wasn’t until the 1970s that scientists developed an effective cure for leprosy . Up until then this terrible disease was feared not just for its awful symptoms, but also for the stigma that came...
It was this skull, found on the uninhabited island of Petite Mustique in the Caribbean, that was used in the recent leprosy research study.					Source: International Journal of Paleopathology

Caribbean Island Skull Reveals Evidence of Old World Leprosy, Study

A ground-breaking recent leprosy research study published in the International Journal of Paleopathology used the fragments of a skull found on an uninhabited Caribbean island called Petite Musique...
A chimpanzee named Woodstock with leprosy in Ivory Coast. Source: Tai Chimpanzee Project

Squirrels, Armadillos and Now Apes Have Leprosy

Two colonies of apes have been discovered suffering from leprosy. The so-called “Leper Apes,” some with gruesome skin lesions and rotting body parts, were found in Guinea-Bissau's Cantanhez National...
Scenic Talava Arch, Niue                   Source:  Brian Scantlebury / Adobe Stock

Behold the Coconut! There’s Nothing Savage About Niue

There are many small countries in the vast South Pacific and they are often unknown to the world outside the region. Niue is one of these - a tiny country with a unique culture as a result of its...
St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh.          Source: karenm9071 / Adobe Stock.

Edinburgh’s First Inhabitants Revealed in 3D Digital Reconstructions

Two of 111 skeletons recovered from burial sites within a Scottish cathedral are being brought back to life with 3D reconstructions. A new science project is reconstructing faces from some of 111...
Experts have studied the skeletal remains of five bodies excavated in Ireland and tested the remains for strains of leprosy. Source: Suthiporn / Adobe Stock.

Did Scandinavian Vikings Carry Leprosy To Ireland?

The skeletal remains of five bodies excavated in Ireland suggest Vikings brought leprosy to the Emerald Isle. Leprosy , also known as Hansen's disease , is a chronic infectious disease that is caused...
The skull of a young girl who suffered from syphilis; she would have been a candidate for treatment with mercury in the Middle Ages.

A Toxic Price to Pay: Wealthy citizens in medieval Europe had poisoning from lead-glazed plates

Rich city dwellers in medieval northern Europe had elevated lead and mercury levels that probably caused them serious health problems. Fewer rural people, who were poorer, had elevated heavy metals...
A man with leprosy rings a bell to warn of his approach.

1500-Year-Old Skeleton of Scandinavian Man Might Be Patient Zero in Spread of Leprosy to Britain

The fear and stigma attached to the terrible disease of leprosy has endured for millennia. Answers have long been sought regarding this mysterious ancient ailment, and now archaeologists have...
Ancient roots of leprosy

Uncovering the ancient roots of leprosy

New research conducted at the University of Texas Anderson Cancer Center is finally unearthing some of the ancient mysteries behind leprosy, which has plagued mankind throughout history. The study...
Japan Burial Method - Leprosy

Unique burial method in Medieval Japan may be linked to social stigma against leprosy

A new study published in the journal PLOS ONE, has revealed that a unique burial method performed during the 15 th to 18 th centuries in eastern Japan may be associated with social stigma against...