HOW WOULD you Pa eae or centuries, people hae assumed that leprosy the hin Aiseae kon, in the Torah, a aaa, However, # cart parison between the syrptoms of modern day leprosy and Dili arn clay demonstrate that hese we dzeases, tre dant conditions. In Chapter 13 of Leicus, the Tera de sete the character of tarts. Taras condition tha uly velop am the skin within a week, The symptoms inhi swelling (en, seabbingopahar) or depigmentcon of the shin ber ‘Adionaly tes two har mst tan white andthe Caben ust wo not depression nthe enter ofthe affected ze. If someone tppers before the Caen wih some, but no all, ofthe symptoms, ee separted fen the coramuniy and Furherabsewed afer one ek I ster the secondary inspection the ara of pigmentation uso, the person entified 96s wtzor, hut f hese ane she same, the penton tno longer suspected af having arn: 4 ‘The aymptons af eprom, however ave dtnety different fom tana. In 1868, Gethad Hansen identified leprosy 0 mpcoece- rium leprae, and give its modern name of Hanvens acl” He nd that mycubotrin las dows not gr ito om any nom living suface. The Torah, on the other hand, decusres what 2 per on shold do f his haute o clothing i iced with ara [3] ansens bails i aesociated with an incubation period of ight sears, and causes lov of hat without changing the cor ofthe ‘maining ai[2], Since thee nly common characters isthe ap pearance onthe skin, it seems strange the 0 shin fictions would be connected ‘ow dd tara become neni with lepoay The wage of ‘naan the Tr i vague since it doe ot eer toa specific Wpe fakin dzeae [3] Alshough the Grees were avs of Hansen's is the Sepngent(2508CE), he Greek wordchoren oan aa, ‘us lp, Though he tr ep elated to the made day ward eprom, eros war not denied unl 600 BCE in nd nd dd nat appeain che Md East il 325 BCE she thatthe Tah was eferring to leprosy, since the disease wast is therefore pra ‘enifed by that epoch I nor surpesing then tha Hansen's disease became confused with leprosy when the Arabic ranalaion of elayhontosgracoru was mistakenly confared with lepra scorn [6,5]. When Mippacratesdiacured lepe he spect aes that those ser from leprosy have gay hs and nt white saeco IB. Bocuse ofthe asacitian withthe Biblical portage, people sted wth leprony or any sim shin dincae were often shunned sand eben persecuted. Hence the comples aig af the word fn leave af the ambiguous nature of rn The Rabbis understand tan afer rom leroy a well The Mishnss acu the cols ofthe sin and the clacidation af he Leitious tex (Negi 1:2) They doe enti tents with spe shin disene.Th Tl views ears on-ontgius co Aion. For enmple is writen that someone Fst noticed shin ruption that cerned He ares ting Festal they id not have However, a comparison between the symptoms of modern-day leprosy and biblical tzaraas clearly demonstrate that these two diseases are distinct conditions. ‘whose cheched ut the Festal had ended Yt at ha time, the comovon belie was tht leprosy was exeeely contagious nd the abhi spe at eth abut th imprtance a separating om ey es immeditely afer he sgn appeared [2] Additionally the Ta ‘mud fers leper ble sen which le further support hat the wo ations were not lated [6 Wiurags not Hansen's disease, what isthe modern-day unt trans? There ae many difering apinions. EY Hale ‘its fray and alopecia rete, None ofthe eases he sted cue hae to turn white except fr elpeio aves. Even inthe case of lopci, the aaa many week to grow and prevout hal doesn ose is pament, Loyd Davies sugested neurodermattis ar scart, fever, bur both donot cause any lot of hi alr Katrenelensohn prevented the idea that trees was some Kind of Fungus or ald ‘One such potible ange irchopytns which can affect the har and alo «house or clthing, The benefit of labeling asa a8 ‘hophyot tha ca affect not only the person ut lo the boongiogs which i the same detespion of aan Levicut[2h Davi Kaplan believer that perhaps thee is no disease that itches up wth eran and thal the symptoms of rae were necesay becuse they’ would keep innocent people from being {ately punished. Kaplan blew thatthe Toe was tying to pre sent an unnecesrariy negative atid omards he members ofthe omnuity with common skin dis ses while a the same tine ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS wold ike thank ny amy a making sue that shoe people wbo had sane were propery delt wie Evidently. its ifleul pinpoint specific medical skin ic: on athe modern day definkion of sare Nevertheless, x cleat that leotoy not «possibly, and only became associated with tara becece of mistanalaionsceturies ag. Bl vee or a ser suppor: ould especie to tank my brothers, Rab Els ache, or alin my psp for ts Ter content. Thal ou lot Dx. Babich for helping me select my topic and fr eing my pape Fors sience [ak chan 199 The Hoy Bg & Ma Apc of apy Th ei [apn 991 a ens A acho [84h 986, Lp [eb Rw F995, Meine eal rs 1998) Ahan Hoy Tate Mine, 2 iin, Hemi Ps Ne, mh ome Joi the Ari cde of Deas 250710. end eT Sein rm Cli ei Seo Ki Pblbing Hoe, oben, MI Desa al 3