Leprology

 Leprology - Connor Griffin

Aim: Leprology is the study of leprosy and the prevention of leprosy. Leprosy is a disease that affects human's skin. It affects membranes and nerve systems as well. What this does is create lumps and discoloration on the skin and possible deformation of the face. What the aim of Leprology is, is to eradicate leprosy with medicine and surgery. Leprosy is a disease that affects many people across the world- and doctors aim to wipe it out. What leprology does is provide doctors and students with a means to study the disease and find ways to get rid of the now permanent nerve damage, right now leprology's aim is to seek out how people still get leprosy. Right now, it is 1/3 because of location immersion as well as armadillo interaction. "But in a given year, about 50 to 80 people who have symptoms consistent with leprosy tell their doctors that they have not traveled to such areas or had any contact with someone with a leprosy infection. And in these patients, doctors may mistakenly dismiss consideration of a leprosy infection" (Harris). This gives the doctors even more of a reason to follow into leprology and understand and try to combat these mistakes by other doctors to prevent leprosy spread around the world. To combat this, doctors have created better prevention techniques especially in the workforce of those with leprosy. One doctor writes on the cost of leprosy in the workforce and at home "On average, leprosy costs patients one third of their income, compared with five percent for people with leprosy alone" (Guilbert). The aim is to get rid of these high expenses for antibiotics and treatment and find a one way cure for those with prolonged leprosy so that they can get out of the financial slump and into the green.

Audience: The audience of Leprology is doctors and patients with leprosy. Currently, there are many doctors and student medical doctors who wish to get rid of leprosy as a whole, and they are the audience. Also, the audience is the people that have leprosy in the moment, or can get leprosy. The people who can get leprosy are the main audience because of the health risks, the financial risks, and the social risks. In a recent article on the financial aspects of leprosy "It revealed the crippling financial burden placed upon some of the most marginalized people in Indian society" (Guilbert). Most of the audience members with leprosy are coming from other countries such as Brazil, Argentina, and other South American countries. "Two-thirds of leprosy patients in the United States are people who have either lived or worked in such places before coming down with the illness" (Harris). This makes it clear just the sheer breadth of the size of the audience of people affected by Leprology just in a patient stance. "The amount of doctors and nurses also affected/interested by Leprology are leaps and bounds more" (Guilbert). Progress is being made on Leprology, and it is happening slowly, but it is happening. The point of Leprology is to get rid of it.

Historical: The history of Leprosy dates back to the medieval ages in which an unknown disease that "plagued the skin" was attacking people across the country. Just in little spurts across the nation and the reasons weren't clear. Over the years, the name became known as "Leprosy" and eventually, those who made the name that study it called their task: leprology. Leprology is the study of leprosy and the prevention of Leprosy. It's a skin disease that affects human's skin. The membranes and the nerve systems inside of it. The amount of Leprosy holders has increased from that medieval time to a larger number today. "but each year about 150 to 250 people in the United States and 250,000 in the world contract the illness" (Harris). The historical research of leprosy indicates that not many were involved with the study of leprosy in the beginning ages. Nowadays, some schools even devote time, money, and effort to Leprosy- because they know the benefit to eradicating it (Guilbert). Leprology has grown from it's roots into a medical field much larger than the original standpoint. It's amazing that something can increase from something so minuscule to so large relatively fast.

Cultural: The cultural benefits of Leprology are many. So many people are wondering what it comes from, which is causing cultural development as well. They ask together as a community where it comes from and how to eradicate Leprosy. "Dr. Fauci said that about 70 percent of new emerging infectious diseases were known to have animal origins" (Harris). With this information from Leprology, communities can come together over newfound information and figure out ways to eradicate it. That's how Leprology pulls people together. Through that cultural impact, they came up with a question: "Now researchers are hoping that their study leads doctors to ask one more question of patients who have skin lesions that are numb in the center: Any armadillos in your life?" (Harris). Seems like a weird question- but that is now the reason people are cracking down on Leprosy. That is due to cultural Leprology and the interesting debates/ideas it creates on getting rid of Leprosy.

 Works Cited:

Guilbert, Kieran." Better prevention could cut leprosy complication's high cost for Indian families: study". //Reuters.// 15 Jan 2015. 20 February 2015.

Gardiner, Harris. "Armadillos Can Trasmit Leprosy to Humans" //New York Times.// 27 April 2011. 20 February 2015.