Leprosy Research Paper
History of Leprosy
Leprosy has long been a well-known chronic & infectious disease affecting the skin and nerves from biblical times through modernity, infecting not only physical health in the society but the development research into new bacterium diseases. This contagious disease can infect an individual by direct person-to-person contact, making it very difficult for them to live normal lifestyles. In result, this disease can cause people to lack the feeling/numbness in the limbs, disfigurement, and nerve damage in the arms and legs. This causes them to not feel anything, including muscle weakness and abnormal limbs. In the year 2000, there was 738,284 cases of leprosy identified worldwide, found mostly in India and developing countries. Researchers are not certain who or what started this plague, but there is groundbreaking history behind all of this. The development in research has changed a lot from biblical times to present time, changing history …show more content…
and people, and here 's why. The earliest time researchers are consistent about the starting history of leprosy was on 1550 B.C, due to an Egyptian Papyrus document (in biblical text format) in separate lists, containing knowledge starting at biological to teachings and instructions. Proceeding with continuous research, in 600 B.C physicians have found Indian writings that relates to leprosy and what it affects it had on the people. The process when this virus was intact with people is on 62 B.C. In this time the army of Alexander the Great of ancient Greece came back from Rome and India with Pompeii 's troops – now taken as prisoners. These prisoners came across a recent area in western Europe where the rulers had an
unknown “disease”. They then brought with them the chronic skin disease along the whole way, causing everyone they had direct contact during their journey (or consuming certain foods) contaminated. Whoever carried the disease had to wear special clothing, ring bells, and walk on a distinct side of the road in order to caution others to stay away. In this time, they considered this to be a punishment from the gods for their “sins” (action done that deals with an ideal relationship) (Michman et. al, 2012). However later on in Europe, the disease stopped, affecting the enlightenment of improving living conditions and better nutrition. Nevertheless, this continued to happen in other areas such as the New World, where most infected individuals were shipped to a village made for them. During this time, nothing was done to cure this due to the slow process of symptoms to appear. The only thing they had a “treatment” in that era were priest and holy men to wish them mercy for the gods to reverse the curse (punishment). This all stopped when a new development in medical research has come to use in the 19th century (Hussain 2012). The 19th century had arrived with more developed research in the biology field, increasing the rate to find the treatment for leprosy. In 1873, by the name of Dr. Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen found the bacteria under a microscope. This discovery proved that this disease was caused by a bacteria and not a curse. From then on, leprosy was considered as “Hansen 's disease”. The bacteria were made up of bacillus organisms, called Mycobacterium leprae (M. Leprae). Hansen 's disease was now being worked on from years on until the early 20th century; a drug was released to the public called dapsone. This medication was extremely painful and the only one known at the time, but no one knew how many years it 'll take for the pathogens to be extinguished from the host (human) (Hussain 2012). The source of this medication is a seed from a Chaulmoogra nut. This nut has round ends and grows on a brown 50-60 foot tree. Oil is obtained from this nut, being used to take care of skin conditions and scaly eruptions (this relates to leprosy symptoms). The side effects on this drug are stomach irritation and accumulation calcium. Repeatedly using this medication will result to turn the M. Leprae used to the chaulmoogra oil (2002-2012). After the years passed along with many failures, much research was still in continuous action, until MDT was released. In 1981, MDT was recommended from the U.S Public Health Service called multidrug therapy (MDT) (Waters 1981). This medication was a mix of three drugs of clofazimine, refampicin, and dapsone. In this combination, it kills the pathogens earlier and cures the patient as well (Hastings et. al, 1998). In 1995, the World Health Organization provided free medical drugs for patients around the world (Brown 2003). However these drugs will only last six months depending how serious and how old the patient is (Lockwood 2005). Sadly, an infected patient takes years until symptoms are visible. Over the years, symptoms such as numbness and decreased temperature sensation occur. As the bacteria spreads throughout the body, the more side effects are to occur and more pain as well. Once in that stage, disfigurement in the body will affect the cooler areas in the body, such as hands, feet, face, and knees (Davis 1996-2012). Leprosy is currently an easy disease to medicate for and look after people if cases do occur. This disease is one of the easiest and fully outstanding assistance to give out to the public with proper care. Cases have started from 500,000 to 700,000 in 1985 (Davis 1996-2012), decreasing to 249,007 cases in 2008 (Hastings et. Al, 1998). Every year with a new beginning will come to a better end. From the past 20 years, 14 million patients have been cured from around 121 countries and territories. Currently, the most affected countries are Africa, Asia and Latin America (2006). By the end, leprosy was sure to be vanished from human history in a couple of years. That 's why conducted studies are being applied on animals. Without a doubt, these studies have proven that chimpanzees, mangabey monkeys, and nine-banded armadillos are linked to leprosy other than humans. A project was directed by an 81-year old dermatologist from the name of John Abide, M.D in 2011. Before it was started, they observed the blood from nine-banded armadillos. Their blood samples did appear a bit atypical from the bacteria that causes leprosy (M. Leprae), however the results were similar, but why armadillos? First to start off, M. Leprae is spread out into the cooler parts of the body, where it can reproduce. In armadillos, they relatively have lower body temperature (30-35 degrees Celsius), meaning it 's the best power house for this bacteria to stay and produce until human come into contact with one of them. How to receive the bacterium from them is by killing, eating, or handling this animal. Research from the New England Journal of Medicine have said that there is no current evidence that armadillos actually transfer this bacteria through humans, but this research will provide the strongest evidence that is most up to date to this time. The materials in this experiment were 50 patients and 33 wild armadillos. Out of all 50 patients, 25 out of 55 individuals and 28 out of 33 wild armadillos have been observed and told that they carry identical strains from M. Leprae. In result, 8 out of the 25 individuals have reported they 've had contact with armadillos. This may increase the chance 1 out of 10,000 (armadillo population in U.S estimate is 30 to 50 million). Also rising up the percentage in leprosy by 15%, since the armadillo population seems to be spreading to the east and north, possibly increasing the current infected patients even higher (Storrs 2011). This may upset the balance that leprosy may be vanished from history starting from years on, so the possibility is unknown. Significantly, leprosy has improved the developments of science, immunology, and biology. This historical disease has been a huge project from the past decades and has now been a huge success because of the past, modern, and present medical history. Relating from the biblical times, it turned out there 's new discoveries over the past eras. By the next couple of years, there will be most likely new discoveries, completing theories of many diseases such as leprosy. Possibilities are that there will be no diseases that will be able to harm human kind ever again.
Bibliography Hastings, R.
C., Gillis, T. P., Krahenbuhl, J. L., & Franzblau, S. G. (1998, July 3). Leprosy. . Retrieved July 19, 2012, from Discover SMU Libraries.
-Hastings, R. C., Gillis, T. P., Krahenbuhl, J. L., and Frankzblau conducted a research paper, talking about the two drugs named (MDT) & Dapsone. Lockwood, D. N. (2005, July 25). Leprosy. Medicine, 33(7). Retrieved July 19, 2012, from Discover SMU Libraries. Michman, Jozeph, S. David Sperling, and Louis Isaac Rabinowitz. "Leprosy." Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. 2nd ed. Vol. 12. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. 650-653. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 18 July 2012.
- Michman, Jozeph, Sperling, and Rabinowit conducted a research book during the biblical times when leprosy wasn 't known (identified) as a bacteria. BROWN, R. "Leprosy (in the Bible)." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol. 8. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 507-510. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 18 July
2012. Davis, C. P. (1996-2012). Leprosy (Hansen 's Disease). . Retrieved July 4, 2012, from http://www.medicinenet.com/leprosy/article.htm (2002-2012). In Chaulmoogra. Retrieved July 4, 2012, from http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_chaulmoogra.htm Hussain, Tahziba (n.d.). In History of Leprosy. Retrieved July 19, 2012, from http://www.stanford.edu/group/parasites/ParaSites2005/Leprosy/history.htm
Waters, M. (1981, November 14). British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Edition). , 283. Retrieved July 19, 2012, from Discover SMU Libraries. Storrs, C. (2011, April 28). Armadillos linked to leprosy in humans. Retrieved July 18, 2012 Report of the global forum on elimination of leprosy as a public health problem. (2006). Retrieved July 18, 2012
Leprosy has long been a well-known chronic & infectious disease affecting the skin and nerves from biblical times through modernity, infecting not only physical health in the society but the development research into new bacterium diseases. This contagious disease can infect an individual by direct person-to-person contact, making it very difficult for them to live normal lifestyles. In result, this disease can cause people to lack the feeling/numbness in the limbs, disfigurement, and nerve damage in the arms and legs. This causes them to not feel anything, including muscle weakness and abnormal limbs. In the year 2000, there was 738,284 cases of leprosy identified worldwide, found mostly in India and developing countries. Researchers are not certain who or what started this plague, but there is groundbreaking history behind all of this. The development in research has changed a lot from biblical times to present time, changing history …show more content…
and people, and here 's why. The earliest time researchers are consistent about the starting history of leprosy was on 1550 B.C, due to an Egyptian Papyrus document (in biblical text format) in separate lists, containing knowledge starting at biological to teachings and instructions. Proceeding with continuous research, in 600 B.C physicians have found Indian writings that relates to leprosy and what it affects it had on the people. The process when this virus was intact with people is on 62 B.C. In this time the army of Alexander the Great of ancient Greece came back from Rome and India with Pompeii 's troops – now taken as prisoners. These prisoners came across a recent area in western Europe where the rulers had an
unknown “disease”. They then brought with them the chronic skin disease along the whole way, causing everyone they had direct contact during their journey (or consuming certain foods) contaminated. Whoever carried the disease had to wear special clothing, ring bells, and walk on a distinct side of the road in order to caution others to stay away. In this time, they considered this to be a punishment from the gods for their “sins” (action done that deals with an ideal relationship) (Michman et. al, 2012). However later on in Europe, the disease stopped, affecting the enlightenment of improving living conditions and better nutrition. Nevertheless, this continued to happen in other areas such as the New World, where most infected individuals were shipped to a village made for them. During this time, nothing was done to cure this due to the slow process of symptoms to appear. The only thing they had a “treatment” in that era were priest and holy men to wish them mercy for the gods to reverse the curse (punishment). This all stopped when a new development in medical research has come to use in the 19th century (Hussain 2012). The 19th century had arrived with more developed research in the biology field, increasing the rate to find the treatment for leprosy. In 1873, by the name of Dr. Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen found the bacteria under a microscope. This discovery proved that this disease was caused by a bacteria and not a curse. From then on, leprosy was considered as “Hansen 's disease”. The bacteria were made up of bacillus organisms, called Mycobacterium leprae (M. Leprae). Hansen 's disease was now being worked on from years on until the early 20th century; a drug was released to the public called dapsone. This medication was extremely painful and the only one known at the time, but no one knew how many years it 'll take for the pathogens to be extinguished from the host (human) (Hussain 2012). The source of this medication is a seed from a Chaulmoogra nut. This nut has round ends and grows on a brown 50-60 foot tree. Oil is obtained from this nut, being used to take care of skin conditions and scaly eruptions (this relates to leprosy symptoms). The side effects on this drug are stomach irritation and accumulation calcium. Repeatedly using this medication will result to turn the M. Leprae used to the chaulmoogra oil (2002-2012). After the years passed along with many failures, much research was still in continuous action, until MDT was released. In 1981, MDT was recommended from the U.S Public Health Service called multidrug therapy (MDT) (Waters 1981). This medication was a mix of three drugs of clofazimine, refampicin, and dapsone. In this combination, it kills the pathogens earlier and cures the patient as well (Hastings et. al, 1998). In 1995, the World Health Organization provided free medical drugs for patients around the world (Brown 2003). However these drugs will only last six months depending how serious and how old the patient is (Lockwood 2005). Sadly, an infected patient takes years until symptoms are visible. Over the years, symptoms such as numbness and decreased temperature sensation occur. As the bacteria spreads throughout the body, the more side effects are to occur and more pain as well. Once in that stage, disfigurement in the body will affect the cooler areas in the body, such as hands, feet, face, and knees (Davis 1996-2012). Leprosy is currently an easy disease to medicate for and look after people if cases do occur. This disease is one of the easiest and fully outstanding assistance to give out to the public with proper care. Cases have started from 500,000 to 700,000 in 1985 (Davis 1996-2012), decreasing to 249,007 cases in 2008 (Hastings et. Al, 1998). Every year with a new beginning will come to a better end. From the past 20 years, 14 million patients have been cured from around 121 countries and territories. Currently, the most affected countries are Africa, Asia and Latin America (2006). By the end, leprosy was sure to be vanished from human history in a couple of years. That 's why conducted studies are being applied on animals. Without a doubt, these studies have proven that chimpanzees, mangabey monkeys, and nine-banded armadillos are linked to leprosy other than humans. A project was directed by an 81-year old dermatologist from the name of John Abide, M.D in 2011. Before it was started, they observed the blood from nine-banded armadillos. Their blood samples did appear a bit atypical from the bacteria that causes leprosy (M. Leprae), however the results were similar, but why armadillos? First to start off, M. Leprae is spread out into the cooler parts of the body, where it can reproduce. In armadillos, they relatively have lower body temperature (30-35 degrees Celsius), meaning it 's the best power house for this bacteria to stay and produce until human come into contact with one of them. How to receive the bacterium from them is by killing, eating, or handling this animal. Research from the New England Journal of Medicine have said that there is no current evidence that armadillos actually transfer this bacteria through humans, but this research will provide the strongest evidence that is most up to date to this time. The materials in this experiment were 50 patients and 33 wild armadillos. Out of all 50 patients, 25 out of 55 individuals and 28 out of 33 wild armadillos have been observed and told that they carry identical strains from M. Leprae. In result, 8 out of the 25 individuals have reported they 've had contact with armadillos. This may increase the chance 1 out of 10,000 (armadillo population in U.S estimate is 30 to 50 million). Also rising up the percentage in leprosy by 15%, since the armadillo population seems to be spreading to the east and north, possibly increasing the current infected patients even higher (Storrs 2011). This may upset the balance that leprosy may be vanished from history starting from years on, so the possibility is unknown. Significantly, leprosy has improved the developments of science, immunology, and biology. This historical disease has been a huge project from the past decades and has now been a huge success because of the past, modern, and present medical history. Relating from the biblical times, it turned out there 's new discoveries over the past eras. By the next couple of years, there will be most likely new discoveries, completing theories of many diseases such as leprosy. Possibilities are that there will be no diseases that will be able to harm human kind ever again.
Bibliography Hastings, R.
C., Gillis, T. P., Krahenbuhl, J. L., & Franzblau, S. G. (1998, July 3). Leprosy. . Retrieved July 19, 2012, from Discover SMU Libraries.
-Hastings, R. C., Gillis, T. P., Krahenbuhl, J. L., and Frankzblau conducted a research paper, talking about the two drugs named (MDT) & Dapsone. Lockwood, D. N. (2005, July 25). Leprosy. Medicine, 33(7). Retrieved July 19, 2012, from Discover SMU Libraries. Michman, Jozeph, S. David Sperling, and Louis Isaac Rabinowitz. "Leprosy." Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. 2nd ed. Vol. 12. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. 650-653. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 18 July 2012.
- Michman, Jozeph, Sperling, and Rabinowit conducted a research book during the biblical times when leprosy wasn 't known (identified) as a bacteria. BROWN, R. "Leprosy (in the Bible)." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol. 8. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 507-510. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 18 July
2012. Davis, C. P. (1996-2012). Leprosy (Hansen 's Disease). . Retrieved July 4, 2012, from http://www.medicinenet.com/leprosy/article.htm (2002-2012). In Chaulmoogra. Retrieved July 4, 2012, from http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_chaulmoogra.htm Hussain, Tahziba (n.d.). In History of Leprosy. Retrieved July 19, 2012, from http://www.stanford.edu/group/parasites/ParaSites2005/Leprosy/history.htm
Waters, M. (1981, November 14). British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Edition). , 283. Retrieved July 19, 2012, from Discover SMU Libraries. Storrs, C. (2011, April 28). Armadillos linked to leprosy in humans. Retrieved July 18, 2012 Report of the global forum on elimination of leprosy as a public health problem. (2006). Retrieved July 18, 2012