Leprosy is one of the diseases that has tormented the humans for a very long time. It is one of the oldest diseases to be caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae. The bacteria are very old and dates some thousand of years in age. Some of the scholars believe that leprosy bacterium was identified by the ancient Egyptians around 1550 BC as they documented it. The proof was found in papyrus scrolls.

In 600 BC, Indian scripts described the symptoms of leprosy. In Europe, the first instances of the disease appeared after Alexander the Great returned from India, and in Rome, it was identified in 62 BC.

None of the documents reveal that there has been any form of treatment for the disease. Through out human history Leprosy has been misunderstood greatly, and also has been one of the most feared diseases. Some people thought it was a hereditary disease and more primitive thought that it was a god’s curse. Also, people who had leprosy were treated very badly. They were outcast from the society, and also nobody preferred to even touch them, including doctors.

In the mid 19th century, Mother Theresa was a major breakthrough in the leprosy scene as she educated several people that leprosy does not spread through touch. However, the stigma related to leprosy exists even today. In the Middle Ages, people who had leprosy had to wear separate clothing or wear bells so as to warn others that they had the disease. Nobody preferred to touch them or even come close to them. This is still prevalent today.

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