Priorities for future of leprosy control: communication by Professor T Ryan

Leprosy Mailing List – December 18^th, 2010

Ref.:   Priorities for future of leprosy control: communication by Professor T Ryan (LML Dec 16th, 2010)

From: Das P K, Amsterdam, the Netherlands 

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Dear Salvatore,

The observation of widely present dis-interest of medical students on leprosy is understandable, because leprosy (the disease both as a matter of scientific and clinical subject) is more or less neglected or overlooked by the professors in Dermatology, Plastic surgery, Opthalmology, Orthopaedics as a whole probably with some rare exception.  Even when it comes up, as a matter of discussions, there is hardly anyone to be heard, saying that the dynamics of leprosy pathology is intriguing for exploring the dynamics of host, immune responses.

Similarly, in clinics, Dermatologists can go on highlighting the comparative aspects of other dermatological diseases like psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, wounds, depigmintation with leprosy spectrum.  Microbiologically, one can teach the students comparative aspects of mycobacteria as a whole and the disease causing mycobacterioses i.e tuberculosis and leprosy.

In another words, leprosy should be included in full vigour in total curricula of medical science and should not be left isolated, as a kind of special subject, like charitable diseases.  It is high time for the wise community to accept leprosy within the whole curricula of medicine specialising in history of medicine,  immunology, pathology, neurology, dermatology, opthalmology, micro surgery etc not only in places where leprosy is prevalent, also in the global region where leprosy is almost non existent.

May be, it will be good idea that Professor Ryan will be kind enough to take the initiative starting with Oxford, to introduce leprosy in the teaching curricula.

Pran