Leprosy and Hansen's Disease: Rethinking Terminology Through a Patient‐Centered Lens
ABSTRACT The term leprosy carries profound stigma, yet its common alternative, Hansen's disease, paradoxically commemorates a physician who performed nonconsensual experimentation on a woman affected by leprosy. We argue that future terminology should be reconsidered through an international process centered on people affected by the disease.
Authors
- Delaney D Ding (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4658-4553)
- Kieron Seymour Leslie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3504-2633)
Institutions
- University of California, San Francisco (US)
- University of Florida Health (US)
- University of Florida (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- International Journal of Dermatology
- Published
- 2026-10-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/ijd.70718
- Primary Topic
- Leprosy Research and Treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00