Funerary treatment and social perspectives surrounding leprosy sufferers in medieval Europe

Abstract : Despite a deeper understanding of leprosy in the present-day, the stigma surrounding the disease continues to define "lepers" as social outcasts, and not simply  as sufferers  of the bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium leprae. This perspective has been perpetuated through biased interpretations of historical texts  dating  to the medieval period. However, the social attitude regarding these individuals in medieval Europe might not have been so severe [1, 2].

Drawing upon existing research, we endeavor to understand  how leprosy  sufferers  were viewed in life through their treatment in death. lt must first be acknowledged that many intricate factors exist when diagnosing leprosy in the archeological record. For instance, differential diagnoses, disease variants, taphonomy, poor conservation, genetic susceptibility, sex, age, and the  developmental  state  of the disease at death, must all be considered. Most of the authors cited have applied a multidisciplinary approach to confront these issues but the lack of well-preserved archaeological material deeply limits the scope of our knowledge.

Nevertheless, we can conclude that it seems probable that leprosy sufferers had more nuanced experiences than once thought, and attitudes certainly varied depending on the region, period, and prevalence of the disease. Markedly, these experiences likely included religious raies in leprosy hospitals, or leprosaria. Such institutions have been equated to monasteries in organisation and status, symbolizing 'prestige and piety' [2]. Equally,  patients would have benefited from palliative care and regular assistance as their conditions progressed [3]. ln the cases of two leprosaria cemeteries in England (St. Mary Magdalene,  Winchester)  and France (St. Thomas,  Aizier) [4], bath were strictly organised and managed. ln Winchester, anthropomorphic, marked graves suggest these individuals were treated with dignity and respect before and after their passing [5]. A late medieval burial in Polis, Cyprus reveals that some individuals were cared for and included in daily life outside of these institutions [6]. Moreover, burials in Odense, Denmark indicate that those with facial manifestations of the infection were moved to leprosaria and therefore buried within this context, while those with post-cranial lesions were buried in ordinary cemeteries [7].

Overall, the attitude towards leprosy sufferers was generally far more accepting than historical

interpretations may proclaim. Though current research would clearly benefit from more extensive excavations and studies of medieval leprosaria, recent publications allow us to confront the long-held beliefs surrounding the disease.