Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day: Leprosy is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. It has two common forms: tuberculoid and lepromatous; both forms produce sores on the skin and can result in the loss of limbs, nerve damage, and permanent disfigurement. In the 18th century, the French tried to colonize the island of Guiana and created what were essentially prison camps for those that suffered from this disease. On Napoleon’s orders, they also created actual penal colonies on Devil’s Island that operated from 1852 to 1953 and developed a reputation for harshness and brutality. Henri Charrière wrote a memoir, Papillon, in 1968 that described the conditions and his successful escape. Prisoners sometimes contracted the bacterium mycobacterium leprae and were then known as leper cons…
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 23:21:47 +0000
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