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certain number of the whole priesthood gave their particular attention to medicine. It is evident that med had at this time been reduced to a system, from the nice discrimination of infectious disorders, and the syn which they were characterized. It is true that these specifications are on divine authority; but we conceiv merely refer to what was previously known, and are only intended to indicate precisely the particular disorde the respective regulations were to apply. We must not omit to direct attention to the most wise exclusion w in this chapter of that Egyptian principle of immutable rules which must have operated so injuriously on th ment of the art. There is not word said about the medical treatment of the disorders brought under our that is stated refers to the cognizance of symptoms of infectious disorders, and the sanatory precautions for health which may in consequence become necessary. This is all of which legislation can properly take c Curative means were perhaps employed in ancient times, although we are aware that leprous disorders were rally considered curable by any medical treatment. But that particular remedies were not prescribed seems t from being an objection, as some regard it, that we consider it an evidence of the Divine wisdom from which proceeded.

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3. "Leprosy."-It is currently stated by the Greek and Roman writers that the Israelites were driven out of account of their being generally infected with leprosy. They no doubt learnt this statement from the Egyptia and it has often appeared to us that all the misrepresentations concerning the Jews, traceable to that sou have arisen after the Hebrew Scripture had been translated into Greek. Through this means the Sacred Histo in some degree known to the civilized world; and this gave the priests an interest in setting up the most counter-statements in their power, as to those facts in which the honour of their own country was deeply in Josephus (contra Apion) distinctly attributes the origin of this and many other calumnies to the Egypt refutes them by many solid reasons, to which others have been added by Michaelis, Faber, and other moder The present misrepresentation is on many accounts highly plausible and ingenious-quite sufficiently so upon the Greeks and Romans, but not enough so to escape detection. The things are true, separately tal false when stated as cause and effect. It is true that the Hebrews were driven out forcibly by night, and it is they were infected with leprosy; but it is not true that they were driven out forcibly on account of leprosy were forcibly driven out, on the spur of the moment, because an awful calamity had befallen the Egyptians obstinate refusal to allow them to go out peaceably, as they had urgently requested. It was very clever disho the Egyptian priests to combine these two unconnected circumstances, making one the consequence of the othe zealous writers have thought it necessary to deny that the Hebrews were infected with leprosy at all; but t actually were so seems to us evident from this and the following chapters. What can be the meaning of all thes laws and regulations, of these strict precautions to prevent the spread of contagion, unless leprosy was a very p and well-known disease? But this equally proves that they were not wholly a leprous people, as their ancien niators alleged; for then these regulations against contagion would have been perfectly superfluous. Mose never have enacted such severe laws against leprosy had he himself been a leper, and the leader of an army of Besides, leprosy is even to this day, after several thousand years, a common disease throughout Egypt, Sy Palestine; it was therefore endemic both in the country to which they were going and in that which they H Indeed, in the latter, it was and is so frequent and virulent, that Egypt has always been regarded as the princi of the leprosy; and that disorder could not be expected to be otherwise than common among a people recentl from thence; and this renders it clear that it was the Israelites who were endangered by the leprosy of the Eg and not the Egyptians by that of the Israelites. This again answers the charge of their expulsion on that accou as Michaelis well asks, "What sovereign, not an absolute blockhead, would expel a people, consisting of 600,00 males, and therefore, with their wives and children, amounting to two millions and a half, on account of a disease e in his dominions?" The same writer thinks other causes also may have contributed to the spread of the disorder the Hebrews. "They were poor, they had been oppressed; and cutaneous diseases, and indeed almost all int diseases whatever, attack poor people above all others, because they cannot so well keep themselves cleanly, and a tance from infected persons." He also considers that their having partly dwelt in the damp and marshy parts of was a circumstance favourable to the increase of leprosy; while the same circumstance (their residence along the in the marshy district of Bucolia) put it in their power to eat fish at pleasure (see Num. xi. 5); and nothing is effectual for aggravating and spreading cutaneous disorders than a diet entirely, or frequently, composed of fish J. M. Good concurs generally with Michaelis in these opinions; and also dwells on their subjugated and dist state, and the peculiar nature of their employment, as tending to produce the leprosies and other cutaneous dis with which they seem to have been affected. In producing such results, he says, "There are no causes more ac powerful than a depressed state of body or mind, hard labour under a burning sun, the body constantly covere the excoriating dust of brick-fields, and an impoverished diet-to all of which the Israelites were exposed whilst the Egyptian bondage." After this it may freely be admitted that the Hebrews were, to a large extent, infected leprosy and other cutaneous disorders; while we deny that they were expelled from Egypt on that account. continuance for forty years in the arid deserts of Arabia, together with the wise sanatory regulations in this an following chapter, may have done much to diminish its prevalence among them; for although Arabia is not ex from leprosy, its dry air is less favourable to infection than the moister atmosphere in some parts of Egypt, and ev Palestine. So much of the present subject as relates to the setting apart of the leper from common intercourse be considered in the notes to Num. vi. 1-5. We shall at present limit our attention to the forms of the diseases tioned; and which are so admirably discriminated, and their symptoms described, in the chapters before us.

4. "Bright spot." -Three distinct forms of leprosy are particularly described by Moses in this chapter. They a distinguished by the name of בהרת,bahereth "bright spot." Two of these are distinguished as particularly alar by the epithetrath, "venom" or "malignity." Of these two, the בהרת לבנה,bahereth lebenah, "b white bahéreth" (the Leprosis lepriasis candida of Dr. Good), is the most virulent. The characteristics of this diseas precisely as described by Moses; being a glossy white and spreading scale upon an elevated base, encircled with a border; the elevation is depressed in the middle, but without a change of colour. The natural black hair or patches participates in the whiteness, and the patches themselves perpetually widen their outline. Several of t characters, separately taken, belong to other blemishes of the skin, and therefore none of them were to be taken al it was only when the whole concurred that the Hebrew priest, in his capacity as physician, was to pronounce

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racterize all the forms of leprosy, are in this modification not depressed below the general surface of the not remain stationary at their first size, but continually enlarge their limits, and are either scattered or leprosy was improperly named "black" by the Greeks, the spots being really dusky or livid. When it determined, after a probationary separation of a week or fortnight, the person was declared unclean, remain apart. The sort of dusky leprosy known in our own country is chiefly found among person pations are attended with much fatigue, and expose them to cold and damp, and to a precarious and of diet. But it seems doubtful whether our own leprosies can be properly identified with the more mali of the East. The common leprosy is mentioned in the next note. We may here mention Calmet's notion of leprosy, because we shall presently have again occasion to refer to it. He thinks it is caused by min between the skin and the flesh, which gnaw the epidermis and cuticle, and afterwards the extremities of the flesh, producing the symptoms to which the present chapter calls attention. (See the dissertation commentary on Leviticus, and his 'Dictionary,' Art. Leprosy.)

39. "Freckled spot." - This is distinguished from the other leprosies by the termבהק, bohak, which the Israelites were drveness, but in a subordinate degree, being a dull white spot. This disorder is not contagious, and did not

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unclean, or make it necessary that he should be shut up. The Arabs call this disorder by the sar Hebrews, and its characters are precisely analogous to those here stated. This variety is strictly a cuta and rarely, if ever, affects the constitution. Forskal, in one of the notes to Niebuhr's 'Travels,' gi tion of this sort of leprosy. He says, "May 15, 1763, I myself saw a case of bohak leprosy in a Jew a spots in this disease are of unequal size. They have no shining appearance, nor are they perceptibly the skin, and they do not change the colour of the hair. Their colour is an obscure white, or somewhat rest of the skin of this patient was blacker than that of the people of the country is in general; but t so white as the skin of an European when not sun-burnt. The spots in this species of leprosy do no hands nor on the abdomen, but on the neck and face, not, however, on that part of the head where the thick. They gradually spread, and continue sometimes only about two months, but in some cases, in two years, and then disappear by degrees of themselves. This disorder is neither infectious nor heredi occasion any inconvenience." We thus see why it was declared clean. Michaelis well remarks on this this should be found exactly to hold at the distance of 3500 years from the time of Moses ought c some credit for his laws even with those who will not allow them to be of Divine authority." For war nation of the different forms of the disorder similar to that which the Hebrew legislator established, in leprosies are common, this uncontagious form of the disorder, equally with the others, usually separ afflicted with it from the common intercourse of life, and deprives society of the services he might com This fact alone would be sufficient to show the wisdom of the present regulations, under which no one co from general intercourse whose presence was not dangerous. Dr. Good says, that in England a disord chiefly found among persons who work among dry powdery substances, and are not sufficiently attentive person. The same author numbers this among the cutaneous blemishes or blains which were watch cions eye from their tendency to terminate in malignant leprosy. There are in all eight such disorde this chapter. We have not thought it necessary to dwell on them separately, and must refer those who tion on the subject to the Study of Medicine, vol. v. pp. 590-610.

40. "Bald."-In a country where leprosy is not prevalent, it may well occasion surprise that the laws should be careful to provide that bald-headed persons should not be causelessly subjected to the charge hardships of leprosy. No man in this country would be suspected of leprosy even if his head became ba But in the East, the falling off of the hair is known to be sometimes, and, in connection with other sym criterion of leprosy; and as there actually is a particular kind of leprosy limited either to the fore or head, it became necessary to provide, that if no other symptom of leprosy than mere baldness occurred not to be suspected of being a leper. Indeed the Hebrew word for baldness (areach means, one who has boils, and therefore originally, perhaps, a leper. These regulations will be better understoo that the Orientals distinguish two sorts of baldness. The first is that which begins from the forehea that which begins behind. The Hebrew has a distinct name for each of these. By the Arabian poets is distinguished as the "noble baldness," because it generally proceeded from the wearing of a helmet; was stigmatized as "servile baldness." With this understanding, let us read the terms "bald" )ח verse 40, and "forehead bald" )נבח, gibbeach) in verse 41. (See Michaelis, vol. iii. p. 285.(

ease throughout Egy and in that which th been regarded as the p on among a peuple na d by the leprosy of the eir expuision on that eople, consisting of f. on account of a the spread of the dise and indeed almost al themselves clean.r amp and marshy pars (their residence along t n. xi. 5); and uently, composed if heir subjugated and and other cutare we are no causes t body constantly se tes were exposed a large extent, gypt on that acc regulations in the ough Arabia is parts of Egypt, от соттой щетих forms of the disease apters before us

47. "The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in."-A manufacturer of woollen, linen, or leather likely than any other person to discover the precise meaning of the details in the remainder of this chap with the assistance of the principal woollen manufacturer in Hanover, threw so much light on the s relates to woollen, as may give some general ideas on the whole subject, and furnish a clue to f as it regards linen and leather. In his German translation of the Bible, he hazarded a conject confirmed afterwards by the manufacturer in question, who told him that a disease in woollen cloth here described, proceeds from the use of what is called dead wool, that is, the wool of sheep that have not by the knife. If the disease has been of short duration, such wool is not altogether useless; but has long been diseased, it becomes extremely bad, and loses the points. He also stated that, accord blished usage among honest manufacturers, it was unfair to manufacture dead wool into any article because vermin are so apt to establish themselves in it, particularly when worn close to the body an Frauds were, however, sometimes committed with this wool, it being sold for good wool, in consequen stuffs made with it not only became soon bare, but full first of little depressions, and then of holes. V spots mentioned in the text, and we thus observe how the disease, as there described, might sometim warp, and sometimes in the woof, according as the dead wool happened to be employed in the one The manufacturer whom Michaelis consulted expressed a wish that there were some statute inflictin upon those who either sold dead wool, or knowingly manufactured it into human clothing. The l himself considers the present as such a law. He says: "Whether the dead wool will in process of wool, I do not know; but to bring into complete discredit and disuse stuffs that so soon become threa out in holes, and at the same time so readily shelter vermin, ... unquestionably becomes the duty of leg not to interdict the use of dead wool, which might be evaded by the difficulty of proving that the wool was r but by destroying, even in spite of the owner, any article in which the symptoms appeared, which would sc in making every one careful not to manufacture; either for his own use or for sale, stuffs by which such los incurred. This view of the matter, which we have merely condensed from Michaelis, deserves attention. not seem to obviate all the difficulties of the subject; and as clothing certainly can convey contagion, it rem to inquire whether any contagion in clothes manifests its presence by such symptoms as those which this ch merates. Dr. Mead (Medica Sacra') and other writers speak of the leprous miasmata being transmitted but they omit to notice and account for the appearances which the infected stuffs are here said to exhibit thinks that the clothes-leprosy, like that in man, was caused by the presence of minute insects, or worms, whic the texture, and left the stains described. This idea is not incompatible with that of Michaelis, since the de favourable to the production of vermin. Although not very obviously connected with the subject, it may ass to observe, that if cotton or linen cloth be suffered to remain long in a damp situation, it assumes appea unlike those described by Moses, and which are not only difficult to remove by washing, but also frequently texture of the cloth itself.

his chapter. They d as particularly bahereth lebena eristics of this diseas ase, encircled wsh atural black hat atline. Several of t to be take

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6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, ❘ his hand shall the priest put up and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:

7 And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.

8 And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days.

9 But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean.

10 And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of

oil.

11 And the priest that maketh him clean shall present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation:

12 And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and 'wave them for a wave offering before the LORD:

13 And he shall slay the lamb in the place where he shall kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the holy place: for 'as the sin offering is the priest's, so is the trespass offering: it is most holy:

14 And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot:

15 And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand:

16 And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD:

17 And of the rest of the oil that is in

the right ear of him that is to and upon the thumb of his righ upon the great toe of his righ the blood of the trespass offerin

18 And the remnant of the the priest's hand he shall pou head of him that is to be cleans priest shall make an atonement fore the LORD.

19 And the priest shall offer t ing, and make an atonement for to be cleansed from his unclea afterward he shall kill the burnt

20 And the priest shall offe offering and the meat offering up and the priest shall make an at him, and he shall be clean.

21 And if he be poor, and 'ca much; then he shall take one trespass offering to be waved, atonement for him, and one te fine flour mingled with oil for a ing, and a log of oil;

22 And two turtledoves, or pigeons, such as he is able to g one shall be a sin offering, and burnt offering.

23 And he shall bring them o day for his cleansing unto the the door of the tabernacle of th tion, before the LORD.

24 And the priest shall take the trespass offering, and the lo the priest shall wave them for a ing before the LORD:

25 And he shall kill the lam pass offering, and the priest sha of the blood of the trespass c put it upon the tip of the righ that is to be cleansed, and upon of his right hand, and upon the his right foot:

26 And the priest shall pou into the palm of his own left ha

27 And the priest shall sprin right finger some of the oil th left hand seven times before the

28 And the priest shall put o is in his hand upon the tip of t of him that is to be cleansed, a thumb of his right hand, and up toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering :

29 And the rest of the oil t "Or, prepare. 10 Heb. in coming in shall come in, &c. 11 Chap. 13. 30. 1 Heb. in the day of the unclean, and in the day of the clea Verse 3. "Two birds alive and clean." The word צפורים zipporim) here rendered "birds" is translated "sparrow

priest's hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, to make an atonement for him before the LORD.

30 And he shall offer the one of the turtledoves, or of the young pigeons, such as he can get;

31 Even such as he is able to get, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, with the meat offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed before the LORD.

32 This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, whose hand is not able to get that which pertaineth to his cleansing.

33 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

34 When ye be come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession ;

35 And he that owneth the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, It seemeth to me there is as it were a plague in the house:

36 Then the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest go into it to see the plague, that all that is in the house be not made unclean: and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house: 37 And he shall look on the plague, and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow strakes, greenish or reddish, which in sight are lower than the wall;

38 Then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days:

39 And the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look: and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house;

40 Then the priest shall command that they take away the stones in which the plague is, and they shall cast them into an unclean place without the city :

41 And he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and they shall pour out the dust that they scrape off without the city into an unclean place:

42 And they shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones; and he shall take other morter, and shall plaister the house.

43 And if the plague come aga break out in the house, after that h taken away the stones, and after h scraped the house, and after it is tered;

44 Then the priest shall come an and, behold, if the plague be spread house, it is a fretting leprosy in the it is unclean.

45 And he shall break down the the stones of it, and the timber there all the morter of the house; and he carry them forth out of the city into clean place.

46 Moreover he that goeth into the all the while that it is shut up shall clean until the even.

47 And he that lieth in the house wash his clothes; and he that eateth house shall wash his clothes.

48 And if the priest shall come in look upon it, and, behold, the plague not spread in the house, after the hous plaistered: then the priest shall pron the house clean, because the plag healed.

49 And he shall take to cleanse the I two birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet hyssop:

50 And he shall kill the one of the in an earthen vessel over running wate

51 And he shall take the cedar wood the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the li bird, and dip them in the blood of the bird, and in the running water, and spri the house seven times:

52 And he shall cleanse the house the blood of the bird, and with the run water, and with the living bird, and the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, with the scarlet:

53 But he shall let go the living bird of the city into the open fields, and m an atonement for the house: and it shall clean.

54 This is the law for all manner plague of leprosy, and "scall,

55 And for the leprosy of a garment, a of a house,

56 And for a rising, and for a scab, a for a bright spot:

57 To teach "when it is unclean, a when it is clean: this is the law of lepros

in the Vulgata and other no

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