Photos

gelarsen (437) 2007-07-13 8:03

Excellent text book photo of Hansen's Disease. Such severe cases are seldom seen now a days. Your presentation is very good in color, sharpness and pose of subject.
I think it's important to add a note to this photo:

Leprosy (Hansen's disease) is a chronic infection caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae that results in damage primarily to the peripheral nerves (the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord), skin, testes, eyes, and mucous membrane of the nose.

Because of the visible disfigurement in untreated people, people with leprosy have long been feared and shunned by others. Although leprosy is not highly contagious, does not cause death, and can be effectively treated with antibiotics, the disease still causes widespread anxiety. As a result, people with leprosy often suffer psychologic and social problems.

More than 1 million people worldwide have leprosy. Leprosy is most common in Asia (especially India and Nepal), Africa, Latin America, and the islands of the Pacific Ocean. The infection can start at any age but most commonly begins in the 20s and 30s.

It is not clear how leprosy is spread. However, one way the disease is likely passed from person to person is through droplets expelled from the nose and mouth of an infected person and breathed in or touched by an uninfected person. But even with the bacteria in the air, most people do not contract leprosy. About half of the people with leprosy probably contracted it through close, long-term contact with an infected person. Casual and short-term contact do not seem to spread the disease. Leprosy cannot be contracted by simply touching someone with the disease, as is commonly believed. Health care workers often work for many years with people who have leprosy without contracting the disease. Other potential sources of Mycobacterium leprae are soil, armadillos, and possibly bedbugs and mosquitoes.

About 95% of people who are exposed to Mycobacterium leprae do not develop leprosy because their immune system fights off the infection. In people who do develop the disease, the infection can range from mild (tuberculoid leprosy) to severe (lepromatous leprosy). The tuberculoid form of leprosy is not contagious.

The most severe symptoms of leprosy result from infection of the peripheral nerves, which causes a deterioration of a person's sense of touch and a corresponding inability to feel pain and temperature. People with peripheral nerve damage may unknowingly burn, cut, or otherwise harm themselves. Repeated damage may eventually lead to loss of fingers and toes. Also, damage to peripheral nerves may cause muscle weakness, at times resulting in clawing of the fingers and a "drop foot" deformity. Skin infection can lead to areas of swelling and lumps, which can be particularly disfiguring on the face.

Ref.: The Merck Manual of Medical Information —
Second Home Edition, 2003.