Leprosy or Hansen's Disease? On the Importance of Terminology for the Study of Disease in the Past
Samantha Paige Kelly Atkins
Master’s Thesis - Viking and Medieval Studies 60 Credits University of Oslo Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies November 16, 2020 Acknowledgements
First, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to my supervisors, Emily Kesling and Þóra Þétursdottir, for their patience, guidance, and support over this past year. Despite many of the challenges that have come along during 2020, they have both been available for crucial discussions and provided valuable insights that have helped me to shape a very abstract idea into reality.
Second, I want to acknowledge the great contributions of Carole Rawcliffe and Charlotte Roberts to the scholarship surrounding leprosy, and the inspiring work of Bernard Punikai’a and IDEA with the Quest for Dignity.
I also want to thank Dr. Aubrey Canon for starting me on the path of archaeology, Dr. John Colarusso for turning me towards studying in Norway, and Dr. Piers Mitchell for a truly enlightening conversation at the start of this journey.
As well, a big thanks to my friends, who despite not really understanding what I was writing about (most of the time), were there supporting me from start to finish. A special mention to Ingebrigt Dale for his helpful feedback and remarks in the final stages of editing.
Lastly, I want to thank my wonderful parents, Lesley Kelly and Simon Atkins, for always being there with an endless amount of humour and encouraging words... and excellent edits in the final stages!
Table of Contents List of Figures 2 1.0 Introduction 3 2.0 What is Discourse Analysis? 5 3.0 The History of Leprosy 8 3.1 Origins of the Term “Leprosy” 8 3.2 Leprosy in the Ancient East 11 3.3 Leprosy in the Middle East during the Medieval Period 13 3.4 Leprosy in Western Europe during the Medieval Period 14 3.5 Leprosy in Medieval England 17 3.6 Leprosy from the Post-Medieval Period to the Present 18 4.0 What is Hansen’s Disease? 21 4.1 Finding a Cure for Hansen’s Disease 24 4.2 The Transition from Leprosy to Hansen’s Disease in the Modern World 25 5.0 Why Medieval Leprosy is Not Equatable to Hansen’s Disease 31 5.1 The Humoral System and the Four Types of Leprosy 31 5.2 Diagnosis of Leprosy 34 5.3 Treatment of Leprosy 38 6.0 The Archaeology of Leprosy and Hansen’s Disease 41 6.1 A Discussion of the Analysis of Skeletal Remains from St James, Chichester 46 7.0 A Clear Definition for Hansen’s Disease and Leprosy 50 8.0 The Historical Discourse of Leprosy in Medieval England 54 8.1 Interchanging Use of the Terms “Leprosy” and “Hansen’s Disease” 54 8.2 Avoiding the Use of "Hansen’s Disease" 57 8.3 “True” Leprosy: An Alternative Definition for Hansen’s Disease 60 9.0 The Archaeological Discourse of Leprosy in Medieval England 61 9.1 Interchanging Use of “Leprosy” and “Hansen’s Disease” 63 9.2 The Use of “Leprosy” to Reference “Hansen’s Disease” 72 10.0 Broader Implications for the Study of Past Disease 77 10.1 What is Tuberculosis?: A Modern Clinical Description 78 10.2 Archaeology and Ancient History of Tuberculosis 79 10.3 Tuberculosis in Medieval Europe 82 10.4 Modern History of Tuberculosis 84 11.0 Broader Implications for the Stigma of Leprosy 86 12.0 Conclusion 91 Bibliography 93 List of Figures
Figure 1. Photomicrograph of Mycobacterium leprae. 20
Figure 2. Evidence of the characteristic erosion of hand bones from Hansen’s disease. 24
Figure 3. Diagram of the Greek Humoral System. 32
Figure 4. The nervous system from a 13th century English text. 35 (Bodleian Library, MS Selden Supra 74, fo. 101v)
Figure 5. The excavation layout of the cemetery at St Mary Magdalen, Winchester. 46
Figure 6. Damaged nasal cavity caused by Hansen’s disease, as described by Roberts 48 in her article.
Figure 7. An ancient Egyptian painting which depicts a man afflicted with 80 Pott's disease, which causes deformation of the spinal cord.