A note on the number of leper-houses in Europe in mediaeval times / by George Pernet.

  • Pernet, George.
Date:
1902
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: A note on the number of leper-houses in Europe in mediaeval times / by George Pernet. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    G. PERNET. LEPRA richtet wird”); Dom Sauton: La Leprose, 1901, p. 5 (“En 1244, on comptait dix-neuf mille leproseries dans la chretiente et deux mille en France, ainsi que nous le rapporte Mathieu Paris”); Jeanselme et See: Lepre, La Pratique Dermatologique 1902, vol. Ill, p. 2 (“A la mort de Louis VIII [1226] on en comptait 2000 en France et 19000 dans la chretiente, d’apres Mathieu Paris [124410— Now the author of the article on “Leprosy” in Rees’s Cyclopaedia, (vol. 20) long ago pointed out (1819) that this was an error of translation. “Several authors have, he wrote, by an error of translation, quoted Matthew Paris (Hist, anglorum ad annum 1244) for an assertion, that nineteen thou- sand lazarettos existed in Christendom; but that author only states, that the hospitalers were, at that period, possessed of 19000 manors. ‘Habent hospi- talarii novem decim maneriorum in Christianitate’.” A reference to Matthew Paris’s works (Matthew Paris, 1200—1259, by the way was the greatest, and in reality the last of the monastic historians of England, according to Green) shows that the passage should really read as follows: “Habent insuper Templarii in Christianitate novem millia mane- riorum, Hospitalarii vero novem decim, praeter emolumenta et varios prou- ventus ex fraternitatibus et praedicationibus provenientes, et per privilegia sua accrescentes”. (Matthaei Parisiensis Opera. Parisiis MDCXLIV, p. 417, col. 1.) The passage must be taken as meaning that the Hospitalers possessed 19 000 manors, the word millia not being repeated by Matthew Paris. This was in 1244. The above is a small matter, but it is as well that the error should be pointed out. Perhaps future writers on the history of leprosy will bear it in mind. Note de la redaction. Les remarques de notre tres distingue collaborateur sont tres justes. 11 faut lire 19000 manoirs et non pas 19000 leproseries. En 1899 Mr. le prof. Polotebnoff1) a redige une protestation analogue, tendant a rectifier cette erreur commise par presque tous les historiographes de la lepre, Pun copiant l’autre. Neanmoins — et je Pai deja dit dans ma reponse au prof. Polotebnoff,2) le nombre de leproseries n’a pas ete de beaucoup inferieur a celui des manoirs des chevaliers de St. Lazare (Hospitalarii). A presque chaque manoir il a du y avoir une leproserie, grande ou petite. Au Xlllme siecle 3000 leproseries en Europe etaient rattachees a la commanderie magistrale de Boigny (pres d’Orle- ans), qui etait le centre, la capitale de Pordre.3) Sous le regne de St. Louis il y avait en France au moins 1502 leproseries. «L’Estat des maladreries en Frances de cette epoque indique, que 123 de ces etablissements etaient de fondation Royale, 252 de fondation seigneuriale, 530 crees par les communes, 1) Berl. klin. Wchschr. 1899, Nr. 25. ~) Berl. klin. Wchschr. 1899, Nr. 28. 3) H61y, Les leproseries dans l’ancienne France, p. 90, Paris 1896.