Re: Re: Armadillos/leprosy

Capone did, didn't know about Henry VIII, not that it surprises me much.

Pam Evans
Kemp, TX
zone 8A
----- Original Message -----
From: Cathy Carpenter
Sent: 11/19/2004 6:22:15 PM
To: gardenchat@hort.net
Subject: Re: [CHAT] Armadillos/leprosy

Have no idea. But I think Henry VIII did.
Cathy
On Friday, November 19, 2004, at 03:00 PM, ""  
<gardenqueen@academicplanet.com> wrote:

> Didn't Al Capone die of tertiary syphilis?
>
> Pam Evans
> Kemp, TX
> zone 8A
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Cathy Carpenter
> Sent: 11/19/2004 7:08:49 AM
> To: gardenchat@hort.net
> Subject: Re: [CHAT] Armadillos/leprosy
>
> Actually, it was probably a label applied to a number of skin diseases
> and other dermatologic conditions: anything that would produce sores
> and/ or skin disfigurement that persisted.
> Aside from the initial (primary) lesion, and the diffuse rash of
> secondary syphilis, that disease doesn't really manifest
> dermatologically, though it was much more serious (i.e. deadly) in its
> first two stages some 500+ years ago (smallpox was called "small"
> because syphilis was considered the "great" pox). Speculation is that
> the causitive organism (Treponema pallidum) mutated back then to
> something with less severe initial symptoms, retaining its real whammy
> for the neurological effects of its third stage.
> Probably more than you want to know....but I love trivia.
> Cathy
> On Wednesday, November 17, 2004, at 04:22 PM, james singer wrote:
>
>> Syphilis comes to mind. What else?
>>
>> On Wednesday, November 17, 2004, at 08:39 AM, Cathy Carpenter wrote:
>>
>>> And most of what was described in the Bible as leprosy was probably
>>> something else.
>>> Cathy
>>> On Tuesday, November 16, 2004, at 11:08 PM, Judy L Browning wrote:
>>>
>>>> Leprosy is now called Hanson's disease in research, etc. There is
>>>> treatment
>>>> to clear the bacteria from the body. I heard an interesting
>>>> reference to it
>>>> a few days ago. Seems the rotting flesh, loss of body parts etc.
>>>> associated
>>>> with the disease is not directly caused by the bacteria. Loss of  
>>>> pain
>>>> sensation from nerve damage is the real culprit. Without pain to let
>>>> the
>>>> person know they have a cut or even a broken bone, the damaged area
>>>> easily
>>>> becomes infected and that secondary infection is the cause of the
>>>> terrible
>>>> disfiguring that caused such horror of the disease.
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "David Franzman" <dfranzma@pacbell.net>
>>>> To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2004 8:33 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [CHAT] Armadillos/leprosy
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Thanks for that clarification Cathy but it leads me to another
>>>>> question
>>>>> about leprosy.  We know of the leper colonies of Hawaii...I think
>>>>> it was
>>>>> Molokai...but we never hear of the disease anymore at least I
>>>>> don't.  Is
>>>> it
>>>>> now treatable and why don't we hear of it?
>>>>>
>>>>> DF
>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>> From: "Cathy Carpenter" <cathy.c@insightbb.com>
>>>>> To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2004 3:13 PM
>>>>> Subject: Re: [CHAT] Armadillos
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> Just had to set the record straight on armadillos and leprosy.  
>>>>>> Yes,
>>>>>> armadillos, because of their low body temperature, have been used
>>>>>> to
>>>>>> culture Mycobacterium leprae (Leprosy is caused by a bacterium,
>>>>>> related
>>>> to
>>>>>> the bacteria that causes tuberculosis, not a virus). Because the
>>>> bacterium
>>>>>> has not been able to be grown in artificial culture, the sole
>>>>>> source of
>>>>>> the germ for study has been the nine banded armadillo (and mice).
>>>>>> Yes
>>>>>> there has been a lot of "buzz" on the possible transmission of the
>>>>>> bacterium from the armadillo to humans, but to my knowledge, the
>>>>>> only
>>>>>> documented transmission has been related to oral consumption of
>>>>>> undercooked armadillo meat. Leprosy, despite its horrendous
>>>>>> biblical
>>>>>> reputation (most of which was not related to the disease), is very
>>>>>> difficult to contract. There is documented evidence that people
>>>>>> have
>>>> lived
>>>>>> for years in close proximity (ie. marriage) to people with the
>>>>>> disease
>>>> and
>>>>>> have never "caught" it. The lowly nine banded armadillo should be
>>>>>> recipient of our gratitude rather than our prejudice...at least as
>>>>>> far
>>>> as
>>>>>> health research is concerned.
>>>>>> Cathy
>>>>>> On Tuesday, November 16, 2004, at 09:35 AM, Jesse Bell wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I truly do not like armadillos. Did you know they carry the
>>>>>>> leprosy
>>>>>>> virus? And they do jump...and squeak...and they don't see well at
>>>>>>> night
>>>>>>> (that's why you see so many dead ones on the road). When I chased
>>>>>>> one
>>>>>>> with a broom (in New Orleans) and yelled at it...it jumped up and
>>>>>>> came
>>>>>>> running after me. I screamed and ran. Ick. Hate 'em. The short
>>>>>>> one is
>>>>>>> braver than me..that's for sure.
>>>>>>
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>> Island Jim
>> Southwest Florida
>> 27.0 N, 82.4 W
>> Zone 10a
>> Minimum 30 F [-1 C]
>>
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