Lepers and Leprosy

	Lepers & Leprosy
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There are many interesting webpages on the history of leprosy, including the Global Project on the History of Leprosy. In addition to crutches and other sorts of mobility aids, other items somewhat particular to lepers to note include rattles or clappers and begging bowls. [Leprosy] hath much tokens and signs. In them the flesh is notably corrupt, the shape is changed, the eyen become round, the eyelids are revelled, the sight sparkleth, the nostrils are straited and revelled and shrunk. The voice is hoarse, swelling groweth in the body, and many small botches and whelks hard and round, in the legs and in the utter parts; feeling is somedeal taken away. The nails are boystous and bunchy, the fingers shrink and crook, the breath is corrupt, and oft whole men are infected with the stench thereof. The flesh and skin is fatty, insomuch that they may throw water thereon, and it is not the more wet, but the water slides off, as it were off a wet hide. Also in the body be diverse specks, now red, now black, now wan, now pale. The tokens of leprosy be most seen in the utter parts, as in the feet, legs, and face; and namely in wasting and minishing of the brawns of the body. To heal or to hide leprosy, best is a red adder with a white womb, if the venom be away, and the tail and the head smitten off, and the body sod with leeks, if it be oft taken and eaten. De proprietatibus rerum The Feast of Dives, a sacramentary (Bibl. Sainte-Geneviève MS 102, fol. 271v), c. 1270 St. Elizabeth of Thuringia and the patients, The Picture-Book of Madame Marie (BNF NAL 16251, fol. 103v), c. 1285-1290 The Feast of Dives, La Somme le Roi (Bibl. Mazarine MS 870, fol. 179), 1295 Scenes from the life of St. Elizabeth, wall-paintings from St. Hubertus' Church in Mardorf, c. 1300 Healing a leper (fol. 6v) and healing a leper (fol. 24), Sermons of Maurice de Sully (BNF Fr. 187, fol. 6v), c. 1320-1330 Elisha and Naaman (fol. 153v), Joram and the lepers (fol. 154v), Job has leprosy (fol. 234), The Feast of Dives (fol. 413v), Bible historiale (BNF Fr. 152), 14th century A leper, Pilgrimage of the Heart (Bibl. Sainte-Geneviève MS 1130, fol. 113v), c. 1367-1399 Christ healing a leper who holds a rattle (fol. 470v) and Christ and the ten lepers (fol. 505v), Bible historiale (MMW 10 B 23), 1372 Job has leprosy, Bible historiale (BNF Fr. 164, fol. 150), fourth quarter of the 14th century Two scenes from the life of St. Elizabeth, c. 1386-1400 He knew the tavernes wel in every toun And everich hostiler and tappestere Bet than a lazar or a beggestere; For unto swich a worthy man as he Acorded nat, as by his facultee, To have with sike lazars aqueyntaunce. The General Prologue (description of the Friar) from The Canterbury Tales, ll. 240-245 Leper, Pontifical; Tabula (Brit. Lib. Lansdowne 451, fol. 127), first quarter of the 15th century Christ heals a leper (fol. 57v), a leper (fol. 58r), the healed leper and an offering (fol. 58v), Christ heals another leper (fol. 72v), a book of hours (PML M.359), c. 1430-1435 Healing a leper, Speculum historiale (BNF Fr. 50, fol. 220v), 1463 St. Josaphat, the leper, and the blind man, Speculum historiale (BNF Fr. 51, fol. 171), 1463 A leper sits in the street, holding a clapper, Vita Christi (BNF Fr. 178, fol. 67), fourth quarter of the 15th century Christ heals lepers, Vita Christi (PML M.894, fol. 112v), c. 1485 The apostles preach, The Golden Legend (BNF Fr. 244, fol. 158), c. 1480-1490 St. Elizabeth of Thuringia bathes the lepers in the Elizabeth Altarpiece from the Church of St. Agidius at Bardejov, c. 1480-1500 Sermon on the Mount by Cosimo Rosselli, 1481-1482 A leper, Kuttenberger Kantionale (ÖNB Mus. Hs. 15501, fol. 97v), 1490 St. Louis of Toulouse cares for the sick in an altarpiece from Rothenburg, c. 1490-1500 St. Elizabeth of Thuringia bathes the lepers in an altarpiece from Laufen, c. 1495-1505; note that their clothing seems to be similar to that of a pilgrim Dives and Lazarus, The Tilliot Hours (British Library Yates Thompson 5, fol. 70v), c. 1500 Procession banner: The Virgin and Child with St. Lazarus, c. 1502 An altarpiece with St. Martin, St. Elizabeth of Thuringia, and St. Katherine from St. Florian, c. 1510-1520 A leper holding a clapper from an altarpiece in Kärnten, c. 1510-1520; also this detail (though I am unsure whether he is a leper too, or just a pilgrim) St Peter and St John Healing the Cripple by Albrecht Dürer, 1513 The miracle of St. Denis, Chroniques Françaises (BNF Fr. 2819), c. 1516-1525 Wooden leper clapper, 17th century (also here)

Lepers & Leprosy

Leprosy in Premodern Medicine: A Malady of the Whole Body

The Medieval Leper and his Northern Heirs

Leper Hospitals in Medieval Ireland: With a Short Account of the Military and Hospitaller Order of st Lazarus of Jerusalem

'Lepers outside the gate': Excavations at the Cemetery of the Hospital of St James and St Mary Magdalene, Chichester, 1986-93 (CBA Research Report)

There are many interesting webpages on the history of leprosy, including the Global Project on the History of Leprosy.

In addition to crutches and other sorts of mobility aids, other items somewhat particular to lepers to note include rattles or clappers and begging bowls.

[Leprosy] hath much tokens and signs. In them the flesh is notably corrupt, the shape is changed, the eyen become round, the eyelids are revelled, the sight sparkleth, the nostrils are straited and revelled and shrunk. The voice is hoarse, swelling groweth in the body, and many small botches and whelks hard and round, in the legs and in the utter parts; feeling is somedeal taken away. The nails are boystous and bunchy, the fingers shrink and crook, the breath is corrupt, and oft whole men are infected with the stench thereof. The flesh and skin is fatty, insomuch that they may throw water thereon, and it is not the more wet, but the water slides off, as it were off a wet hide. Also in the body be diverse specks, now red, now black, now wan, now pale. The tokens of leprosy be most seen in the utter parts, as in the feet, legs, and face; and namely in wasting and minishing of the brawns of the body.

To heal or to hide leprosy, best is a red adder with a white womb, if the venom be away, and the tail and the head smitten off, and the body sod with leeks, if it be oft taken and eaten.

De proprietatibus rerum

The Feast of Dives, a sacramentary (Bibl. Sainte-Geneviève MS 102, fol. 271v), c. 1270
St. Elizabeth of Thuringia and the patients, The Picture-Book of Madame Marie (BNF NAL 16251, fol. 103v), c. 1285-1290
The Feast of Dives, La Somme le Roi (Bibl. Mazarine MS 870, fol. 179), 1295
Scenes from the life of St. Elizabeth, wall-paintings from St. Hubertus' Church in Mardorf, c. 1300
Healing a leper (fol. 6v) and healing a leper (fol. 24), Sermons of Maurice de Sully (BNF Fr. 187, fol. 6v), c. 1320-1330
Elisha and Naaman (fol. 153v), Joram and the lepers (fol. 154v), Job has leprosy (fol. 234), The Feast of Dives (fol. 413v), Bible historiale (BNF Fr. 152), 14th century
A leper, Pilgrimage of the Heart (Bibl. Sainte-Geneviève MS 1130, fol. 113v), c. 1367-1399
Christ healing a leper who holds a rattle (fol. 470v) and Christ and the ten lepers (fol. 505v), Bible historiale (MMW 10 B 23), 1372
Job has leprosy, Bible historiale (BNF Fr. 164, fol. 150), fourth quarter of the 14th century
Two scenes from the life of St. Elizabeth, c. 1386-1400

He knew the tavernes wel in every toun
And everich hostiler and tappestere
Bet than a lazar or a beggestere;
For unto swich a worthy man as he
Acorded nat, as by his facultee,
To have with sike lazars aqueyntaunce.

The General Prologue (description of the Friar)
from The Canterbury Tales, ll. 240-245

Leper, Pontifical; Tabula (Brit. Lib. Lansdowne 451, fol. 127), first quarter of the 15th century
Christ heals a leper (fol. 57v), a leper (fol. 58r), the healed leper and an offering (fol. 58v), Christ heals another leper (fol. 72v), a book of hours (PML M.359), c. 1430-1435
Healing a leper, Speculum historiale (BNF Fr. 50, fol. 220v), 1463
St. Josaphat, the leper, and the blind man, Speculum historiale (BNF Fr. 51, fol. 171), 1463
A leper sits in the street, holding a clapper, Vita Christi (BNF Fr. 178, fol. 67), fourth quarter of the 15th century
Christ heals lepers, Vita Christi (PML M.894, fol. 112v), c. 1485
The apostles preach, The Golden Legend (BNF Fr. 244, fol. 158), c. 1480-1490
St. Elizabeth of Thuringia bathes the lepers in the Elizabeth Altarpiece from the Church of St. Agidius at Bardejov, c. 1480-1500
Sermon on the Mount by Cosimo Rosselli, 1481-1482
A leper, Kuttenberger Kantionale (ÖNB Mus. Hs. 15501, fol. 97v), 1490
St. Louis of Toulouse cares for the sick in an altarpiece from Rothenburg, c. 1490-1500
St. Elizabeth of Thuringia bathes the lepers in an altarpiece from Laufen, c. 1495-1505; note that their clothing seems to be similar to that of a pilgrim
Dives and Lazarus, The Tilliot Hours (British Library Yates Thompson 5, fol. 70v), c. 1500
Procession banner: The Virgin and Child with St. Lazarus, c. 1502
An altarpiece with St. Martin, St. Elizabeth of Thuringia, and St. Katherine from St. Florian, c. 1510-1520
A leper holding a clapper from an altarpiece in Kärnten, c. 1510-1520; also this detail (though I am unsure whether he is a leper too, or just a pilgrim)
St Peter and St John Healing the Cripple by Albrecht Dürer, 1513
The miracle of St. Denis, Chroniques Françaises (BNF Fr. 2819), c. 1516-1525
Wooden leper clapper, 17th century (also here)