Spinalonga on Crete, Greece, one of the last leper colonies in Europe, closed in 1957. The island of Spinalonga (official name Kalidon is located at the eastern section of Crete, near the town of Elounda. Crete ( Greek: Κρήτη transliteration: Krētē, modern transliteration Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία

A leper colony, leprosarium, or lazar house is a place to quarantine leprous people. For other uses see Quarantine (disambiguation Quarantine is voluntary or compulsory isolation typically to contain the spread of something Leprosy (from the Greek lepi (λέπι meaning scales on a fish or Hansen's disease, is a chronic disease caused by the bacterium

History

Abandoned Nun's Quarters at the Leper Colony on Chacachacare Island in Trinidad and Tobago

Leper colonies or houses became popular in the Middle Ages, particularly in Europe and India, and often ran along monastic lines. Chacachacare is an island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago located at 10° 41' north Latitude and 61° 45' west Longitude. The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (ˈtrɪnɪdæd ən təˈbeɪgoʊ is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying northeast of the South American Historically, leprosy has been greatly feared because it causes visible disfigurement and disability, was incurable, and was commonly believed to be highly contagious. A leper colony administered by a Christian religious order was often called a lazar house, after Lazarus, the patron saint of lepers. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Dives and Lazarus or Lazarus and Dives is a narrative attributed to Jesus that is reported only in the Gospel of Luke ( ^[1]

Some colonies were located on islands or in remote locations in order to ensure quarantine, some on main roads, where donations would be made for their upkeep. Debate exists over the conditions found within historical leper colonies; while they are currently thought to have been grim and neglected places, there are some indications that life within a leper colony or house was no worse than the life of other, non-quarantined individuals. There is even doubt that the current definition of leprosy can be retrospectively applied to the medieval condition. What was classified as leprosy then covers a wide range of skin conditions that would be classified as distinct afflictions today.

Some leper colonies issued their own money (such as tokens), in the belief that allowing lepers to handle regular money could spread the disease. Money is anything that is generally accepted as Payment for Goods and services and repayment of Debts. Lepers were also subject to sumptuary laws (which were not very effective) and were made to carry horns or rattles when outside the colony, to warn others of their approach. Sumptuary laws (from Latin sumptuariae leges) are Laws which attempt to regulate habits of consumption The discovery of an effective treatment for leprosy in 1982, combined with the realization that leprosy was not a particularly communicable disease (roughly 95% of the population is naturally immune) led to the decline of leper colonies around the world. Some colonies remain in areas where treatment for leprosy is not universally available: for example, on Culion Island in the Palawan Archipelago, Philippines; or where traditional attitudes regarding leprosy as 'unclean' have discouraged re-integration. Culion is a 4th class municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. Palawan is an Island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP Famous or long-surviving leper colonies were located in Kalaupapa, Hawaii, USA; Okinawa, Japan; Chacachacare, Trinidad and Tobago; Spinalonga, Crete; Carville, Louisiana, USA; Zoquiapan, Mexico; Losheng Sanatorium in Taiwan; Sorokdo Island in South Korea; Derby on the coast of Western Australia; and Fantome Island in the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon on the coast of North Queensland, Australia. Kalawao County is a County located in the US state of Hawaii. is one of Japan 's southern prefectures, and consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1000 km long which extends southwest from Kyūshū Chacachacare is an island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago located at 10° 41' north Latitude and 61° 45' west Longitude. The island of Spinalonga (official name Kalidon is located at the eastern section of Crete, near the town of Elounda. Carville (pop 1108 is an unincorporated village in Iberville Parish, Louisiana that is 16 miles south of Baton Rouge on the Mississippi River Losheng Sanatorium ( is a Hospital for Lepers which is located in Hsinchuang City, Taipei County, Taiwan. Derby (pronounced "dar-bee" /dˈɑːbɪ/ is a city in the East Midlands of England. Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. Fantome Island is one of the Islands in the Great Palm Island group North Queensland is the northern part of the state of Queensland in Australia. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. After Culion Island in the Philippines, The Sungai Buloh Leprosarium in Malaysia was the second largest colony in the world and was also a centre for research for the disease. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and The first traces of bacterial resistance to dapsone, then the only medication for leprosy was first detected at this centre. Dapsone (diamino-diphenyl sulfone is an pharmacological Medication most commonly used in combination with Rifampicin and Clofazimine as multidrug Leprosy (from the Greek lepi (λέπι meaning scales on a fish or Hansen's disease, is a chronic disease caused by the bacterium About 300 patients are still on site.

Political aspects

In 2001, government-run leper colonies in Japan came under judicial scrutiny, leading to the determination that the Japanese government had mistreated the patients, and the District Court ordered Japan to pay compensation to former patients. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. In Law, damages refers to the money paid or awarded to a Claimant (England Pursuer (Scotland or Plaintiff (US following a successful ^[2] In 2002, a formal inquiry into these colonies was set up, and in March of 2005 the policy was strongly denounced. "Japan's policy of absolute quarantine. . . did not have any scientific grounds. "^[3] The inquiry denounced not only the government and the doctors that are involved with the policy but also the court that repeatedly ruled in the favour of the government when the policy was challenged, as well as the media, which failed to report the plight of the victims. There are about 7,000 records of forced abortion and sterilisation. In some instances, it was reported that babies were suffocated after birth. ^[4]

References

External links

• Lazarus the Beggar
• Photographs of The Sungai Buloh Leprosarium, The Second Largest Leper Colony in The World