leprosy

Term: leprosy

Origin:

Anc Greek

λεπρός/lepros(=scaly) > feminine form λέπρα/lepra(=leprosy)

λοπός/lopos(=flake, peel)

Ø    λέπω/lepo(=scale)

The English word “leper”, in the 14th century it came to be used for a person suffering from leprosy.

Coined: Hippocrates (460-377 BC) classified scaly and dry eruptions as ichthyosis, leprosy and psoriasis together under the term “lopoi= flakes <lepo=scale, peel). The same term (leprosy) was used to cover skin disorders also in the Old Testament.  

Definition:

Leprosy is also known as Hansen's disease who in 1878 identified the bacillus Mycobacterium leprae that causes the disease. The infection is characterized by ulcers and tubercular nodules and white scaly scabs leading to loss of sensation, paralysis and deformation.