For the first time, this volume explores the identities of leprosy sufferers and other people affected by the disease in medieval Europe. The chapters, includin

Medieval history is rich in rules and regulations for lepers, but reveals little of who they were or what became of them. This book searches for the reality of

Drawing on Arabic, English, French, Irish, Latin and Spanish sources, the essays share a focus on the body’s productive capacity – whether expressed through

A major reassessment, based on hitherto unpublished manuscript material, of a disease whose history has attracted more myths and misunderstandings than any othe