3/10/2024 0 Comments Order of saint lazarus maskSo lepers were typically segregated from society, as was suggested for Baldwin as well. They thought leprosy was sexually transmitted, or that it could be transmitted by any contact at all no matter how brief, or it was an outward sign of sin, etc…basically no one knew what it was or how to treat it. It might not have really been the same, but based on Biblical instructions, lepers were supposed to be excluded from society. In the Middle Ages it was considered to be the same disease as leprosy in the Bible. Unfortunately outsiders did not think very highly of having a leper as a king. But everyone noted that his mind worked perfectly, and he was fully involved in political and military decisions, even defeating Saladin in battle on a few occasions. Over the years he lost the use of his hands and feet, he was covered with sores, and he went blind. Some people advised him to step down as king and go into seclusion like other lepers would, but he refused. They must have hoped it was some other skin disease when Baldwin was a child, but by the time he was a teenager his symptoms couldn’t have been anything else. So at first he probably just had numbness in his limbs and no one was quite sure that it was really leprosy, and as William says, they tried various treatments. “It happened that, as he was playing with some boys of noble birth who were with him and they were pinching each other on the arms and hands with their nails, as children often do when playing together, the others cried out when they were hurt, whereas he bore it all with great patience, like one who is used to pain, although his friends did not spare him in any way…finally I came to realise that half of his right arm and hand was dead, so that he could not feel the pinchings at all, or even feel if he was bitten…His father was told, and after the doctors had been consulted, careful attempts were made to help him with poultices, ointments and even charms, but all in vain…It grieves me greatly to say this, but when he became an adolescent he was seen to be suffering from leprosy to a dangerous degree.” (William of Tyre, quoted in Hamilton, pp. He was being tutored by the historian and archbishop William of Tyre, who recorded: We do know how it was discovered though, and how he may have been treated medically and socially, and we know a lot about how leprosy was dealt with in general in the crusader states.įirst of all there is the famous description of how his leprosy was discovered. He definitely had it at a very young age, but it’s impossible to say exactly how or when he contracted it. Previous AMAs | Previous Roundtables Featuresįeature posts are posted weekly. May 25th | Panel AMA with /r/AskBibleScholars Please Subscribe to our Google Calendar for Upcoming AMAs and Events To nominate someone else as a Quality Contributor, message the mods. Our flaired users have detailed knowledge of their historical specialty and a proven record of excellent contributions to /r/AskHistorians. Please Read and Understand the Rules Before Contributing. Report Comments That Break Reddiquette or the Subreddit Rules. Serious On-Topic Comments Only: No Jokes, Anecdotes, Clutter, or other Digressions. Provide Primary and Secondary Sources If Asked. Write Original, In-Depth and Comprehensive Answers, Using Good Historical Practices. Questions should be clear and specific in what they ask, and should be able to get detailed answers from historians whose expertise is likely to be in particular times and places. Nothing Less Than 20 Years Old, and Don't Soapbox. Be Nice: No Racism, Bigotry, or Offensive Behavior. Downvote and Report comments that are unhelpful or grossly off-topic.Upvote informative, well sourced answers.New to /r/AskHistorians? Please read our subreddit rules and FAQ before posting! Apply for Flair
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