The Past and Present of Leprosy : Archaeological, historical, palaeopathological and clinical approaches

Thirty-seven papers, from a conference held in Bradford in 1999, examine leprosy from all angles: as a historical disease overwhelmed by stigma and as a condition that is still prevalent in much of the world despite new medications.

Contributors discuss the medical diagnosis and treatment of leprosy, its effects on the skeleton using archaeological and historical evidence, its occurrence in the archaeological record worldwide and detecting its traces in DNA.

Case studies are taken from across the ancient, medieval and modern worlds, including the Near East, Roman Egypt, medieval England, Wales and Ireland, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Asia and the Pacific.