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A leper colony, leprosarium, or lazar house is a place to quarantine people with leprosy (Hansen's disease). The term ''lazaretto'' can refer to quarantine sites, which were at some time also leper colonies. ==History== Leper colonies or houses became widespread in the Middle Ages, particularly in Europe and India, and often run by monastic orders. Historically, leprosy has been greatly feared because it causes visible disfigurement and disability, was incurable, and was commonly believed to be highly contagious. A leper colony administered by a Roman Catholic order was often called a lazar house, after Lazarus, the patron saint of lepers. Some colonies were located on mountains or in remote locations in order to ensure quarantine, some on main roads, where donations would be made for their upkeep. Debate exists over the conditions found within historical leper colonies; while they are currently thought to have been grim and neglected places, there are some indications that life within a leper colony or house was no worse than the life of other, non-quarantined individuals. There is even doubt that the current definition of leprosy can be retrospectively applied to the Medieval condition. What was classified as leprosy then covers a wide range of skin conditions that would be classified as distinct afflictions today.〔() 〕 Some leper colonies issued their own money (such as tokens), in the belief that allowing lepers to handle regular money could spread the disease.〔Unique experiment with currency notes(1970) Isaac Teoh, The Star, January–February, p7.〕〔The numismatic aspects of leprosy(1993), McFadden, RR, Grost J, Marr DF. p.21 D.C.McDonald Associates, Inc. U.S.A.〕 The last existing leper colony in Europe is Tichilești in Romania. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「leper colony」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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