The Story of Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy): The Biblical “Curse of God”
Raising a Voice Against the Church’s Verdict on Leprosy: The “Curse of God”
For centuries, leprosy was shrouded in fear and superstition. In many societies, the Church declared that the disease was a “Curse of God.” Once that verdict was passed, any rational investigation was often shut down. But one man dared to challenge that belief: a Norwegian doctor named Gerhard Armauer Hansen. Today I’m going to tell you his story!
Tubercular leprosy, from "Leprosy" by G. Thin, 1891
A Disease Deep in History
Leprosy is one of the world’s oldest known diseases. Its roots may go as far back as 4,000 years, with possible origins in East Africa or South Asia. From around 1400 BC, leprosy is often mentioned in ancient Indian medical texts written in Sanskrit, as “Kushtha,” which translates to “eating away.” Ancient Indian physicians Sushruta (600 to 500 BC) and Charaka (200 to 100 BC), who pioneered healthcare and surgery techniques, studied its causes, linked it to imbalances of the doshas (3 biological forces that govern the functioning of the body and mind namely vata, pitta, and kapha derived from the five elements namely earth, water, fire, air, ether), and recommended therapies including detoxification, diet, herbal medicines, ulcer management, wound care, and reconstructive procedures in Sushruta Samhita and Charaka Samhita, respectively, two of the most important classical texts of Ayurveda. Both rejected supernatural explanations and treated it as a medical condition.
Over millennia, the disease spread across the world through trade and conquest. Archeological and historical evidence suggests that leprosy did not appear in biblical lands until centuries later, possibly spreading through Alexander the Great’s campaigns. Later, explorers like Columbus introduced it to the Americas.
“Kushtha” (Leprosy) is often referred to in Sanskrit from around 1400 BC, which translates to “eating away”
Reference to Leprosy in the Holy Bible: Old Testament vs New Testament
Verses in the Old Testament that refer to Leprosy as “Curse of God”
For centuries, leprosy was considered a divine punishment, largely influenced by the following passages in the Old Testament -
Leviticus 13:1-3
1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
2 “When anyone has a swelling or a rash or a shiny spot on their skin that may be a defiling skin disease, they must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons who is a priest.
3 The priest is to examine the sore on the skin, and if the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears to be more than skin deep, it is a defiling skin disease. When the priest examines that person, he shall pronounce them ceremonially unclean.”
Explanation: In these verses, God gives Moses and Aaron rules for how to assess skin diseases. The “defiling skin disease” (often translated as “leprosy” in older versions) is not simply a physical illness, but a condition with ritual and social implications. The priest plays a key role: he must inspect the lesion, and if certain criteria are met (white hair in the sore, depth beyond the surface), the person is formally declared ceremonially unclean. This ritual uncleanness meant exclusion from certain community activities until the rites of purification were performed.
Leviticus 13:45-46
45 “Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’
46 As long as they have the disease they remain unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp.”
Explanation: These verses highlight not just physical purity, but also social and spiritual exile. Someone pronounced ceremonially unclean because of the disease must publicly declare their status (“Unclean! Unclean!”), show outward signs of mourning or shame (torn clothes, disheveled hair), and live in isolation outside the camp. This underscores how seriously ritual purity was treated in the ancient Israelite community. The disease carried not just medical but deep social stigma.
Book of Numbers 12:10
10 “When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous—it became as white as snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease.”
Explanation: In this passage, Miriam (sister of Moses) is struck with what the text calls “leprosy” after she and Aaron speak against Moses. The cloud of God’s presence departs (“lifted … from above the tent”), which many interpret as a sign of divine displeasure. Then Miriam’s skin becomes “as white as snow,” symbolizing a severe and visible affliction. Aaron, as a priest, recognizes the condition as ritual uncleanness (“defiling skin disease”), consistent with the criteria laid out in Leviticus. Her punishment is not purely physical but deeply symbolic: a sign of judgment rather than simply illness.
Stained glass window in the Schnütgen Museum in Cologne (Germany), depicting Miriam being punished with leprosy, 1530
Verses in the New Testament that show Christ curing Leprosy
Matthew 8:2–3 and Luke 5:12–14
“And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing. Be clean!’ And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”
Explanation:
In these verses, the leper approaches Jesus in faith and humility, calling Him “Lord” and expressing trust in His power. Jesus affirms His willingness to heal (“I am willing”), then touches the man, breaking social and religious taboos, because lepers were considered ritually unclean. The healing is immediate: “his leprosy was cleansed,” showing Jesus’ divine authority and compassion. This miracle also has a ritual dimension: by touching him, Jesus restores not only his health, but his ritual purity (making him “clean” in both senses).
Luke 17:11–19
“Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, ‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us!’ When he saw them, he said, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him - and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Then he said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well.’”
Explanation:
In these verses, ten men with leprosy call out to Jesus from a distance, aware that they cannot approach him closely because of their condition. Jesus tells them to show themselves to the priests, following Jewish law (Leviticus) for declared purification. While they are obeying, they are healed ("as they went, they were cleansed"), which suggests that the healing comes as an act of faith and obedience. Only one returns to thank Jesus, and Jesus praises his faith: “Your faith has made you well.” This story not only shows physical healing, but also highlights gratitude, faith, and inclusion (note that the one who returns is a Samaritan, a foreigner).
These accounts collectively illustrate that, unlike the Old Testament view, which associated leprosy with sin and ritual impurity, Jesus’ ministry redefined the understanding of the disease. Leprosy was no longer a permanent curse or mark of moral failure. Instead, healing was possible through faith, compassion, and divine authority, and those healed were reintegrated into the community both physically and ritually.
Christ and the Ten Lepers by Jan Luyken, Amsterdam (Netherlands), 1712
Early Church Verdict on Leprosy as “Curse of God” based on Old Testament
Early Church authorities often maintained ritual laws to uphold moral and social order. Scientific understanding of disease was absent, so Old Testament laws provided a framework for dealing with highly visible and contagious conditions like leprosy. Cultural inertia and fear of contagion reinforced segregation and stigma, even after Christ’s teachings in the New Testament.
So, building on the Old Testament texts, early Church leaders reinforced the idea that leprosy was a divine punishment or a mark of spiritual impurity. Because passages like Leviticus 13:1‑3 and 13:45‑46 emphasized ritual uncleanness and social isolation, Church authorities often equated physical affliction with moral or spiritual failing. People affected by leprosy were treated as outcasts, confined to leper colonies or removed from public life, reflecting a literal interpretation of “living outside the camp.”
Church teachings also drew on examples such as Numbers 12:10, the story of Miriam, to reinforce the perception that leprosy was God’s judgment. The visible nature of the disease, i.e., discolored skin, sores, and physical deformities, was interpreted as evidence of sin or divine displeasure. Religious leaders believed that curing or treating leprosy was secondary to spiritual repentance, and scientific inquiry into natural causes was often discouraged or even condemned.
This interpretation persisted for centuries, creating deep social stigma. It was not until Gerhard Armauer Hansen challenged the Church’s view in the 19th century, demonstrating that leprosy was caused by a bacterial infection (Mycobacterium leprae), that the theological link between sin and disease began to break down. Hansen’s work helped shift perception from moral judgment to medical understanding, laying the foundation for modern treatment and reducing the stigma associated with the disease.
Hebrew Bible, Vetus Testamentum (Old Testament), Brescia (Italy), 1494 publication
Modern Interpretation of Biblical Verses
Modern research shows that the biblical term translated as “leprosy,” sara’at in Hebrew, did not necessarily refer to the disease we know today as leprosy. It was a ritualistic term denoting defilement or ceremonial uncleanness, which could include a wide range of skin conditions, burns, fungus infections, and even damage to walls or clothing. The word “leprosy” only entered Western languages in AD 383, when St. Jerome translated the Hebrew and Greek terms into Latin in the Vulgate Bible, establishing a later association between the biblical ritual uncleanness and modern leprosy.
Painting of St. Jerome translating Old Testament from Hebrew to Latin (Vulgate Bible) while an Angel appears by Guido Reni (1635), Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (Austria)
A Bold Scientist in a Superstitious Age
Dr. Gerhard Armauer Hansen was born on 29 July 1841 in Bergen, Norway. At a time when most people bowed before ecclesiastical doctrine, Hansen had the audacity to argue that leprosy was not a divine punishment but a bacterial disease. Unlike many who chased financial gain, Hansen had no desire for a lucrative private practice. His mission was purely scientific: to prove that Mycobacterium leprae causes leprosy, and that it has nothing to do with sin or divine wrath.
Hansen’s work was painstaking. He traveled to leprosy colonies, collecting tissue samples, including pus, blood, and even bits of degenerated fingers from patients. He preserved these samples carefully, returning at night to work under his microscope. Using various stains, he painstakingly searched for the tiny agents he believed caused the disease.
In 1873, shortly after his marriage, Hansen announced his discovery: he had found rod‑like structures in the tissues of leprosy patients — what would later be identified as Mycobacterium leprae.
Gerhard Armauer Hansen
Love, Family, and Institutional Support
Hansen’s personal life is intertwined deeply with his professional world. He fell in love with Stephanie Marie, the daughter of Dr. Daniel Cornelius Danielssen, a leading leprosy expert in Norway. He proposed, and they married in 1873, despite his modest means. Immediately after marrying, Hansen secured a post in his father‑in‑law’s leprosy hospital, St. Jørgen’s (or Lungegård) Leprosy Hospital in Bergen, as an assistant physician.
Danielssen was not only a respected physician but also an influential figure. His support proved crucial: because of Danielssen, Hansen survived the backlash from the Church and the medical establishment that might otherwise have destroyed his career.
Gerhard Armauer Hansen in St. Jørgen’s (or Lungegård) Leprosy Hospital in Bergen (Norway), 1895
Discovery, Controversies, and Robert Koch
On November 3, 1879, Hansen injected leprous (lepromatous) material into a woman named Kari Nielsdatter Spidsøen without her consent, in a moment of desperation, to try to prove infectivity. Though no harm came to her, the act was exposed, and the Norwegian medical community turned against him. He lost his hospital position. At this point in time, Robert Koch was already becoming a leading figure in bacteriology, known for his work on anthrax and for developing new staining methods that transformed microbial research (who later discovered the Tuberculosis bacterium). As the controversy grew, Koch stepped forward to defend Hansen. He explained that experimenting on animals was extraordinarily difficult because Mycobacterium leprae grows very poorly except in hosts like the nine-banded armadillo, an animal native to South America and unavailable in Europe. With Koch’s reasoning and the support of colleagues, Hansen was reinstated in his role.
Around the same period, Hansen had been struggling to stain and visualize the bacilli he believed caused leprosy. During this time of scientific difficulty, Albert Neisser, a promising student of Robert Koch, visited Norway. Hansen entrusted him with his collected samples. Neisser took them back to Germany, applied acid-fast staining techniques, and confirmed the bacteria. In 1880, Neisser published his findings and claimed credit for discovering the leprosy-causing organism. This caused a bitter dispute on who truly deserved the recognition: Hansen, who first saw these rod-shaped bodies, or Neisser, who stained them. Robert Koch intervened. After investigating, he sided with Hansen: it was Hansen, not Neisser, who was credited with the discovery. On Danielssen’s request, Koch approved naming the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae “Hansen’s bacillus,” and the disease as “Hansen’s disease.”
To know more about Robert Koch and how he used the acid-fast staining technique himself to identify the Tuberculosis bacterium, please read our article The Story of Koch and Waksman - Two Superstars Who Saved Mankind from the Menace of Tuberculosis.
Acid-fast stained Mycobacterium leprae
Honors and Legacy
Hansen’s contributions were eventually widely celebrated. He was awarded the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, and a grand public ceremony in Norway honored him. When asked to lecture at that event, Hansen humbly declined, saying he was “just a worker on leprosy.” Instead, Dr. Danielssen gave the keynote, praising Hansen’s tenacity and declaring that future doctors would build on his work to find treatment.
Hansen died on 12 February 1912, at age 70, of a heart attack while traveling from Floro after delivering a lecture on leprosy. Yet his legacy lives on in every person who has been cured of leprosy, and in the research institutes named after him, such as the Armauer Hansen Research Institute in Ethiopia.
Stamps from multiple countries commemorating Dr. Hansen’s contribution in discovering the leprosy bacillus
Curing Leprosy Today: Features, Classification, Diagnosis, and Treatment
Clinical Features
Thanks to modern medicine, we now understand leprosy not as a supernatural curse but as a slow bacterial infection. Its transmission usually occurs through prolonged respiratory contact, particularly via droplets from the nose and mouth. Two of the hallmark clinical features are:
Skin lesions: Often start as anesthetic (numb), discolored patches; if neglected, they may evolve into deep, ugly sores.
Peripheral neuropathy: Nerve damage, especially in the hands, feet, and other organs, leading to loss of sensation or muscle weakness.
Classification
There are different ways to classify leprosy; here are two widely used systems:
WHO classification
Paucibacillary: 1–5 skin lesions, and skin smears are negative for bacteria
Multibacillary: 6 or more lesions, and skin smears test positive
Ridley–Jopling classification
Tuberculoid (TT): Strong immune response, few lesions, good nerve function
Borderline tuberculoid (BT): Intermediate form
Mid borderline (BB): More advanced than BT
Borderline lepromatous (BL): Weak immune response, many bacteria
Lepromatous (LL): Very weak immune response, numerous lesions, high bacterial load
Diagnosis and Complications
To diagnose leprosy, clinicians use a combination of:
Clinical examination
Biopsy of skin or nerve tissue, to look for Mycobacterium leprae under special stains
Slit-skin smear, again to detect bacteria
Lepromin test (Mitsuda reaction): Injecting a small amount of inactivated Mycobacterium leprae under the skin, then reading the reaction at 3 days and again at 28 days to gauge immune response
Additional tests: Blood tests, nerve conduction studies, imaging, and sometimes PCR (polymerase chain reaction) to detect bacterial DNA
If left untreated, leprosy can cause serious complications: blindness, loss of hair, disfiguring "lion-like" facial features, loss of fingers or toes, bleeding, renal (kidney) failure, infertility, and more.
Treatment: Multi-Drug Therapy
Thanks to Hansen’s work (and his successors), leprosy is curable today. The standard treatment is Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT), which must be taken over months or even years:
Paucibacillary leprosy: Daily dapsone and a monthly dose of rifampicin
Multibacillary leprosy: Daily dapsone + clofazimine, plus monthly rifampicin, typically for 1–2 years
Treating leprosy requires multi-drug therapy
Remembering Hansen and Fighting Stigma
Gerhard Armauer Hansen is often called the "Father of Leprosy". He also proposed that the BCG vaccine, commonly used against tuberculosis, offered partial protection against leprosy, though its efficacy in this regard is modest (around 50%). To know about how Albert Calmette and Jean Marie Camille Guérin discovered BCG vaccination, please read our article The Story of Koch and Waksman - Two Superstars Who Saved Mankind from the Menace of Tuberculosis.
To this day, we observe World Leprosy Day annually on the last Sunday of January, aiming to dispel stigma and spread awareness that leprosy is not a curse, but a treatable bacterial disease. In India, World Leprosy Day is observed on 30 January, the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, who showed deep compassion for people affected by leprosy.
Poster of World Leprosy Day
Epilogue
Hansen’s courage changed everything. In an era when superstition prevailed, he held firm to scientific inquiry. He faced professional hostility, ethical controversy, and social stigma, yet he persisted. Because of him, millions of lives have been transformed: what was once regarded as a “Curse of God” is now known as a curable disease, treated with antibiotics and compassion. Today, when we celebrate World Leprosy Day, we not only remember Hansen’s discovery; we recommit ourselves to breaking the stigma that still persists. We honor the idea that no illness should carry shame, and that understanding and empathy are just as important as medicine.
This article is authored by my father Dr. Kamal Kumar Sengupta. He is a retired doctor with a five-decade-long career as an eye surgeon, a patented inventor of ophthalmic surgical instruments, and an author of ocular pharmacology textbooks. Post-retirement, he decided to invest his time in writing motivational stories from across the globe that will inspire future generations to experience the world, explore ideas, and follow their dreams. I hope you liked this article and if you did, don’t forget to let us know in the comments below!
All images in the article are royalty-free images from jstor.org and commons.wikimedia.org used for visualization purposes only. We hold no copyright on the images.
Bust of Dr. Hansen at the Botanical Garden, University of Bergen (Norway)
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