Skeleton showing the effects of leprosy, Netherlands, 1350-1500
- Made:
- 1350-1500 in Netherlands
Lower leg bones (tibia & Fibila), mature human, showing effects of leprosy, from a medieval Danish cemetary, reputedly c. 1350
The tibia and fibula of this adult human leg show the devastating effects of leprosy on the bones of the body. This erosion and damage, caused by the decay of protective fatty tissue, does not occur in all cases.
The leg is reputedly from an adult buried in a Danish leprosy cemetery attached to a leper hospital. Those with leprosy were social outcasts due to fear of catching the disfiguring disease and it appears the same happened in death. However, similar skeletal remains have been found in graveyards not attached to leper hospitals.
Details
- Category:
- Anatomy & Pathology
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A635012/1
- Materials:
- bone, human
- Measurements:
-
overall: 80 mm x 415 mm x 95 mm, 0.328 kg
- type:
- human remains, bones and leprosy
- credit:
- Wellcome Trust
