Thought for the Day, Thursday 13th of February

Good morning.

This week, I have been thinking about the story of Hansen’s disease, or leprosy. 

In the twentieth century, great changes came to the treatment of leprosy. In 1937, the drug Dapsone was introduced for the first time – and it was effective. In the 1980s Rifampicin and Clofazimine were added to the therapy. Perhaps a patient would require a year on this Triple Drug Therapy, but it has been estimated that 15 million people have been cured of leprosy in the last 20 years.

At the same time, advances in anaesthesia and surgery permitted surgical operations which would give support to weakened muscles and repair the deformity of damaged noses.

One of the pioneers of this kind of surgery was the Englishman Dr Paul Brand. In the years after the Second World War, he went to India to support and help leprosy sufferers. He was well known for using a surgical technique called tendon transfer in which the surgeon moves a healthy muscle to take over the work of a weak one.

Dr Brand was particularly interested in the nerve damage caused by leprosy. He did research and wrote on the subject.

In the foreword of his book, The Gift of Pain, a colleague of the author wrote that Dr Brand was a skilful surgeon and a good scientist while at the same time, as a person, he was humble and very kind to everyone.

The power of kindness runs like a thread through the story of leprosy.

Have a good day.

I am greatly indebted to Mairead McIver for her advice.

In memory of Donald John MacLeod. A faithful friend.