Leprosy: History, Prognosis, And Epidemiology

STD’s have been around for a long time, dating back to 1550 B.C. During this time the first recorded form of an STD was found. They were reported to be found in Europe. Gonorrhea and Syphilis are recorded to be the two most common diseases in Europe. Some men on Christopher Columbus’s voyage brought back syphilis with them. Syphilis causes progressive destruction of the brain and spinal cord, leading to mental dysfunction and hallucinations, speech problems and general paresis (G. Burg). The common knowledge of STD’s have been around but have not been able to be treated up until around the late 1700s.

This particular bacterium is not one that inhabits a specific geographical region as it colonizes within the human body. The disease is

There are two theories to its nature: that it was brought over through the Columbian Exchange, and that it was present in the Americas before Columbus’ first voyage (123). Some theories state that it existed in the Old World in a mild form, then with the arrival of the Europeans, it mutated into the killer the Native Americans knew it as (126). It seems more likely that the disease existed in the Old World prior to 1493, since there are no records of syphilis on the voyage (137). Another theory presents the idea that syphilis is worldwide, but has different names and forms in different regions (142). Whatever the case, the disease is transmitted sexually, and the Europeans knew it to be an epidemic when the allegiance to marital fidelity crumbled in a society (148). Popular remedies for syphilis were mercury and guaiacum (153). A regular intake of mercury was known to cure syphilis, but the metal itself killed the patient (153). The New World provided another possible cure in the form of guaiacum wood, which made the patient sweat profusely in hopes to literally “sweat” the disease out of their system (152). Syphilis ruthlessly killed thousands of Native Americans during its run, but by the 17th century, it became considered a dangerous, but bearable infection

In the many years since the Black Plague we've seen many scary diseases; one that is very similar to the plague is HIV/AIDS. Some similar symptoms are fever, swelling of the lymph glands, body fatigue, and vomiting/diarrhea. Not only do these illesses have similar symptons but they were also treated very similarly. HIV/AIDS was even at one point caled "the Gay Plague", and people thought you could get it from just being around an infected peron; like the plague. New illnesses will always scare peple and get bad reputations.

Treponema pallidum bacterium, commonly known as Syphilis, is a disease that has wrought havoc on enumerable individuals and societies throughout the last millennium and some researchers postulate that its origins lie in the periods of prehistory (12 Lobdell, Johns E. 1974). Many modern theories presently exist in the scientific community in regards to the origins of syphilis and whilst a consensus has not been reached,

The history of Leprosy in Chinese records can be traced back into 1000B.C, for instance, in the period of the last emperor of shang dynasty, because of dissatisfaction with the tyranny of the King Zhou, as well the Chu population’s disagreement of the tyranny from the warring states of ancient China, then "painted lacquer on the body, and then mad for death", these records are from the "Historical Records” and " Stratagems of the Warring States”. “Stratagems of the Warring States " describe that the appearance changed by lacquer painted on the body, cut off his eyebrows and hair changed, actually, this is the first official record of leprosy.

3 Cherath, Lata, and Rebecca J. Frey. "Leprosy." The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, edited by Jacqueline L. Longe, 5th ed., Gale, 2015. Science in

Hawaii was a treasure, a gem glittering with potential; it was a “white man’s paradise” (Okihiro 63). After its discovery by Captain Cook, Hawaii quickly became a destination for missionaries and traders, ready to exploit both the islands’ people and resources. As more Americans flocked to the islands, word spread about its exotic natives, beauty, and uniqueness. This soon attracted a new wave of travelers: tourists. Although Jack London fervently denied being a newcomer and insisted that he was a kamaaiana, “one who belongs,” he was one of the first to catch this “Hawaiian fever.” His collection of short stories, The House of Pride and Other Tales of Hawaii, enticed many other Americans to travel to Hawaii. In this collection, London focuses primarily on the leprosy affecting the natives and “being one” with them. On a superficial level, it appears that London is against Manifest Destiny and the white man’s encroachment of the Hawaiian Islands; however, a closer reading reveals the opposite. Jack London’s writings display the classic mentality that Hawaii belonged to America for the purpose of being a destination for adventure and the restoration of the

Professor Paul Brand was the first physician to appreciate that leprosy is not simply a rotting away of tissues was. He made a huge contribution to understanding leprosy as a disease. Professor Brand studies discovered that leprosy attacked mainly a single type of cell, the nerve cell. He felt his theory was sound. Professor Brand whole view of medicine is inspiring .He was thrilled when he discovered the power that blood can have as he witnessed the full recovery of trauma patient. He was excited as he reminisced on how the blood spread and flushed into the young lady as she started to recover quickly from the accident.

The part in the book that was difficult for me to understand where some sections about the leprosariums in the Latin West. Several factors within these leprosariums seemed to confuse me, such as the regulations, finance works and even the governance.

Lepromatous leprosy (LL) is the widespread form of the disease. This form of the disease may be present for many years before diagnosis. Flesh-colored or erythematous nodules may be present. When left untreated, the disease will progress with diffuse widespread infiltration of the skin and nerves. In this form of leprosy, systemic involvement is mainly seen because of bacillary infiltration of the oropharynx, upper respiratory tract, kidneys, liver, spleen, bones and testes.

The epidermis (skin) gets rashes that are red and flaky. The rashes are not painful though, because the rash is killing the nerve endings which make the affected skin numb to pain. There are three types of leprosy: tuberculoid, lepromatous, and borderline leprosy. Tuberculoid leprosy is when the rash appears on the skin and the parts of the body located under the skin become numb, because the rash is killing

There are many interesting facts about leprosy and Armauer Hansen that some people may or may not know. One interesting fact is that Armauer Hansen suffered from syphilis. Another interesting fact that some people may not know is that leprosy was renamed the Hansen's disease to honor him for identifying and discovering leprosy. Another interesting fact is that he was married twice. The last interesting fact about leprosy is that after the cause of leprosy was found out by Hansen, and before people found out the cure, scientists treated patients by injecting them with oil from the Chaulmoogra nut, which was very painful and not many people benefited from it.

Brucellae are aerobic gram-negative coccobacilli that possess a unique ability to invade both phagocytic and nonphagocytic cells and to survive in the intracellular environment by finding ways to avoid the immune system. This ability helps explain why brucellosis is a systemic disease and can involve almost every organ system. Brucella can gain entry into the human body through breaks in the skin, mucous membranes, conjunctivae, and respiratory and gastrointestinal (GI) tracts. Sexual transmission has not been convincingly documented. Ingestion usually occurs by way of unpasteurized milk; meat products often have a low bacterial load. In the United States, percutaneous needlestick exposure, conjunctival exposure

Kei Miller's The Last Warner Woman tells the story of Admine Bustamante – or Pearline Portious as she is called in her birth certificate. She is born in a leprosarium in Jamaica, where she is praised for her “gift of warning”. She eventually migrates to Britain and is later institutionalised in St Osmund Mental Hospital because of her visions. The narration of the novel switches between two points of view, that of Mr Writer Man, who is Adamine's son, and Adamine herself. In the following, I will discuss the link between mental illness and leprosy that is presented in The Last Warner Woman and how the different focal characters view mental illness.