SCI 05 – COMMUNICABLE DISEASES IN MEN & THINGS
Leviticus 13:2 - Role of the priest in health care
Why does God involve the priest? What effect would this have on priests?
- Daily reminder that spiritual and physical belongs together
- Keep spiritual leaders on the ground / near the people they represent through involving them in daily realities and practical problems
- Links priests to the people, especially to the sick, weak, neediest > chance for relationship (maybe more than any other of the priestly duties)
What effect would this have on the patient?
- Chance to make his need known
- Chance to inquire of God in connection with the sickness (or else) … other causes of sickness other than natural
- Chance to learn about the law
- Ensuring care by somebody knowledgeable, spiritual, experienced
- Getting answers to questions
Demands of this procedure
- To not hide, to not ignore, to open up
- To get help, to be responsible
- To make sure no one is endangered by me
- To involve themselves, to get close, to touch, to communicate, ask questions
of others ,,, - To take other people, to encourage them, to even ‘tell on them’
Job description of the priest
- to establish the presence of disease
- to diagnose which type of disease
- to monitor the development of the disease … spreading? abating?
- to find out communicability of the disease to decleare clean / unclean
- to instruct the patient
Pathway
- to examine … to confine / wait … to re-examine
- one point examinations may be inaccurate
Description of Disease / Flowchart of criteria
13:2-8 > Swelling / Eruption / Spot
if swelling, erruption, spot and it turns into a communicable dx > see priest
if hair turned white / deeper than skin > dx > unclean
if white spot / not deep / hair normal > 7d > not spread/checked > 7d
> if abated / not spread > clean / ‘only an eruption’ > wash clothes
> if spread > 7d > if spread > unclean / dx
• criteria of depth or skin involvement, spreading
Leviticus 13:9-17 - Skin disease
if white swelling / hair turned white / quick raw flesh > chronic dx > unclean
but if all over the body / turned white > clean
but if raw flesh > dx / unclean
but if turns white > clean
• criteria of quick raw flesh (open, active, more blood circulation, not closing)
• criteria of turning white (drying up, closing, healing, scarring, less blood circulation
• ? This could include tumors, chronic boils, …
Leviticus 13:18-23 - Secondary infection in a healed boil
if healed boil / white swelling / reddish-white spot
if deeper than skin / fair turned white > unlcean / ‘dx in the boil
if hair not white / not deep / abated > 7d > if spread > unclean
> if not spread > boil scar
• possibility of secondary infection in a boil
Leviticus 13:24-28 - Secondary infection of burn wound
raw flesh > white spot, reddish white
if hair white / deep > unclean / ‘disease in the burn’
if hair normal, not deep, abated > 7d
> if spread > unclean / disease
> if remains/not spread/abated > clean / ‘swelling or scar of burn’
• possibility of secondary infection in a burn
Leviticus 13:29-37 Hair or beard of male of female
if deep / hair turned yellow > unclean / ‘itch’
if not deep / no black hair > 7d
> if not spread / no yellow hair / not deep > shave rest > 7d
> if not spread > clean / wash clothes
> if spread again / even if no yellow hair > unclean
> if checked / black hair grown > clean
• criteria of depth of involvement, reappearing of normal growth, spreading
Leviticus 13:38-38 - Male or female
if white spots > if dull white > clean / ‘rash’
• a rash which has run its course already is not dangerous anymore
Leviticus 13:40 - Loss of hair
if loss of hair > bald / clean
if also reddish-white spots > if swelling / reddish white > unclean / dx
• natural hair loss accounted
if unclean / dx confirmed
• wear torn clothes, dishevel hair, cover upper lip, cry out ‘unclean, unclean’
> importance of communication in order to prevention of spread
> no ‘right to silence / non-disclosure
> responsibility of the patient to prevent others from getting it
• live outside the camp
> prevention of spread
Leviticus 13:47-59 - Disease in wool / linen cloth / warp / woof / skin article
if greenish-reddish > 7d
> if spread > unclean / dx > burn
> if not spread > wash > 7d
> if no color change though not spread > unclean > burn
> if abated > tear out spot > 7d?
> if reappears > unclean > burn
> if no reappearing > wash > clean
• fungal infections
Levitiucs 14:33-57 - Disease in house
owner must tell priest > empty the house otherwise everything unclean > examine
if greenish / reddish spots / deeper than surface > shut house for 7d > re-examine
if if spread > take out stones and dump in unclean place > scrape plaster off
thoroughly and dump in unclean place > new stones / re-plaster
if disease spread again > house unclean > tear down house > dump everything in unclean place outside city
• all entering > unclean untill evening
• all sleeping in house > wash clothes
• all eating in house > wash clothes
if not spread > declare clean > sacrifice 2 birds as with skin disease
• fungal infections
Leviticus 14:1-9 - Purification rite upon turning clean
• 1 bird slaughtered over fresh water in earthen vessel > blood water?
• 1 alive bird with cedar wood / crimson yearn / hyssop dipped in blood of 1st bird
> sprinkle on patient 7x > bird freed / patient clean > shave / wash > clean > 7d back in camp but outside his tent > shave / wash clothes / bathe > clean > sacrifice
Leviticus 14:10-32 - Sacrifices upon completing purification
• 2 male lambs / grain / oil present together with patient
• 1 lamb > guilt / elevation offering meat to priest
blood of right lobe / thumb / toe
oil with it sprinkled 7x > right lobe/thumb/toe
• 1 lamb > burnt offering with its grain
• if poor, second lamb can be replaced by 2 birds, one then is offered sin offering with grain, the other burnt offering with grain
Principles
• affirmation of the importance of body, of physical health
• involvement of spiritual leaders in people’s daily physical & practical affairs
• responsibility of affected person to communicate, take action and protect others
• need for grass-root level teaching on health and cause & effect
• guiding principle is to prevent spread of disease, the same as ‘love your neighbor’
• logical flowchart of criteria for decisions based on concrete physical evidence
• God’s ability and body’s ability to heal is taken into account
• One point examinations can mislead, monitoring over time yields better diagnosis