Thread: Leprosy

Could anyone give me some information about leprosy, but mostly how to describe it ?

'Cause one of my characters is slowly dying of disease and loneliness, but how can I imagine leprosy when I don't even know the physical decrepitude it implies ? It's for a science-fiction (apocalyptic future) novel.

Thanks !

First, perhaps, you should actually research the disease... then maybe you can ask us for advice.

Thanks ^^

Do a google IMAGE search for leprosy. Trust me, you'll find more than you want!

It's not generally a fatal disease - also google leprosy symptoms

Is google the answer to everything??

Originally Posted by kalibantre

Is google the answer to everything??

There are better places to ask that, such as here:

http://www.google.com/search?client=...UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Thanks you so much.. that really cheered me up.. hahaha....

untreated hanson's disease [what is called 'leprosy'] is a truly horrific affliction... fingers, toes, ears and noses actually rot away... it's caused by a bacterium and is actually the least contagious of all contagious diseases, despite its sufferers historically made outcasts, from fear of it being 'catching'... nowadays it can be controlled at least, if not cured...

Leprosy isn't a very bad disease, really. Nothing like it's been portrayed in history.

It's only mildly contagious, it takes a very long time to cause noticeable effects, and it's easily curable. It also doesn't kill your appendages so they rot while still attached like most people think. What it does is it causes small amounts of tissue damage, which regenerate fairly quickly, but because it happens so often, errors occur and you end up becoming increasingly disfigured. You have to have it for a long time for this to happen, though. It also damages your nerves, which is a more immediate effect of it.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...en%27s+disease

...see these sites for the real lowdown on this rarely-fatal disease... your character can't be 'slowly dying' of it, unless he/she remains untreated, which is highly unlikely these days or in a future that has any kind of medical knowledge and technology...

You'd have to remain untreated for years, too.


Gangrene is a better disease for that smelly, rotting, agonizing death. It kills your nerves like leprosy does, too (only much faster), so you don't feel the gangrenous appendage.

lovely discussion!... think i'll go take a loooong, hot shower... m

Yes really,
Leprosy is one of the oldest diseases, dating all the way back to Biblical times. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the bacteria that causes leprosy was identified in 1873, but treatment was not available until the 1940s.
Leprosy is an infectious disease that has been known since biblical times. It is characterized by disfiguring skin sores, nerve damage, and progressive debilitation. It can affect the nerves and skin in the extremities and the lining of the nose. It typically is contracted through prolonged contact with an infected person.
Leprosy is an infection caused by the Mycobacterium leprae bacterium. It is usually contracted through prolonged contact with an infected person and is not particularly contagious. Only 5 percent of the people who are exposed to Mycobacterium leprae develop leprosy and it no longer carries the stigma it once did.