Reconsidering the Early History of Leprosy in Light of Advances in Palaeopathology

Abstract

Despite advances in DNA and molecular studies, relatively little is known about the early history of leprosy. Fanciful theories about disease transmission across the Indian Ocean world have contributed an element of empty speculation to the literature, and it is necessary to refocus on the actual evidence available. This chapter reviews the palaeopathological, archaeological and literary evidence and argues that DNA analysis has provided a great deal of new data on the history of leprosy, but the interpretation of this new evidence has proven to be problematic. Given the limitations of this rapidly developing DNA sequencing technology, there are still many unanswered questions about the role of the Indian Ocean world in the early history of leprosy. This chapter first defines leprosy, then evaluates the hypotheses for the early history of leprosy based on the literary and archaeological evidence, third analyses the claim that DNA evidence can fill some of the gaps in the literary and archaeological record and finally examines recent hypotheses that attempt to reconcile the literary, archaeological and DNA evidence for the early history of leprosy.