[MR] BBC: Squirrels and Medieval Leprosy?

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

Today the BBC has a brief piece on the recent discovery that squirrels
might have been a vector for leprosy in humans during the middle ages. Hard
to believe those cuttle little bandits could be dangerous (other than
bites), but apparently so.

Leprosy was a much feared malady in medieval times. It is caused by either
of two bacteria, *Mycobacterium leprae* or *Mycobacterium** lepromatosis**.
*The disease attacks the skin, nerves and mucosa. It can cause horrid
bodily deterioration, including loss of fingers, toes, as well as facial
deformities. Nasty stuff. No wonder lepers were shunned in the middle ages.

Red squirrels have been known for some time to be carriers of the disease.
Recent comparison of human bones from a medieval leper hospital in
Winchester and from squirrel bones found in a contemporary disposal pit
nearby used by farriers found evidence of the same strain of bacteria.

Red squirrels were popular pets among upper-class medieval ladies, and
squirrel fur (vair) was commonly used as trim on garments for the wealthy.
One may assume that peasants ate squirrels when they could get them.
Leprosy usually requires long-term contact with the infection source, but
the recent research does suggest a possible human-squirrel connection for
some infections.

The BBC story is found at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj7mry8yvrmo .

The almost impossibly cute rodents, including their medieval importance, is
covered by a Wikipedia article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_squirrel
 .

More about medieval vair (squirrel pelts) and their heraldic significance
is at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vair .

Yours Aye,


Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆
Continuing a crusade to keep Merry Rose relevant and in business.