Leprosy is distinctly a malady of Oriental origin, and existed in
prehistoric times in Egypt and Judea. It was supposed to have
been brought into Europe by a Roman army commanded by Pompey,
after an expedition into Palestine. Leprosy was mentioned by
several authors in the Christian era. France was invaded about
the second century, and from that time on to the Crusades the
disease gradually increased. At this epoch, the number of lepers
or ladres becoming so large, they were obliged to confine
themselves to certain portions of the country, and they took for
their patron St. Lazare, and small hospitals were built and
dedicated to this saint. Under Louis VIII 2000 of these hospitals
were counted, and later, according to Dupony, there were 19,000
in the French kingdom. Various laws and regulations were made to
prevent the spread of the contagion. In 1540 it was said that
there were as many as 660 lepers in one hospital in Paris.
No mention is made in the Hippocratic writings of elephantiasis
graecorum, which was really a type of leprosy, and is now
considered synonymous with it. According to Rayer, some writers
insist that the affection then existed under the name of the
Phoenician disease.
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