Leprosy in Premodern Medicine: A Malady of the Whole Body

Abstract

In the last two years, two new books on the history of leprosy have redefined the image and understanding of that terrifying illness of antiquity and the Middle Ages. The first of these works dispels many of the misconceptions about Leprosy in Medieval England. This dense, well-researched volume by Carole Rawcliffe (Rochester, NY: Boydell & Brewer, 2006) looks at leprosy from ecclesiastical, medical, and cultural perspectives in England from about the twelfth to the fifteenth century. The second by Luke Demaitre is a tour de force examination of leprosy concentrating “on the period between 1300 and 1700” from a variety of angles that build one upon the other to create an overall picture of not just leprosy, but also the reasons behind the misunderstandings and prejudices surrounding this disease. In Leprosy in Premodern Medicine: A Malady of the Whole Body, Demaitre sets out to “show that premodern medicine considered the leprosus not as a reprobate, branded with a disease of the soul, but as a patient, burdened by a malady of the whole body” (xii). Demaitre does just that, and does it well. The strength of this work is that Demaitre uses case after case from primary sources to illustrate and augment his examination of the disease and the contemporary understanding of the illness.