Leprosy was one of the most feared diseases in the Medieval period. The cure for leprosy was not known and the treatment was usually isolation in hospitals or leper communities. Under law a leper had no rights, and under Church doctrines, a leper was considered dead. A leper, unlike any other sick person, could not expect visits, for leprosy was thought, wrongly, to be extremely contagious. Throughout medieval Europe gifts, tolls, and taxes helped to support leper hospitals. When lepers came to town, they had to ring a bell to make sure that other people kept well away from them. However many cases may not have been leprosy at all but other diseases that affect appearance, and that were mistaken for leprosy. After the Black Death such communities declined. By the early 16th century, the leper population was practically nonexistent.
[ 1 ] 
[
Leprosy Bell
