How Leper Colonies Worked

Josh and Chuck dive into the fascinating and often heartbreaking history of leprosy, from ancient biblical times to modern medical breakthroughs. They explore how this misunderstood bacterial infection led to centuries of fear, ostracism, and the creation of infamous leper colonies around the world, including the famous Kalaupapa Peninsula in Hawaii where Father Damien became a saint for his work with patients. The hosts also cover how leprosy is actually transmitted (spoiler: it's way less contagious than people thought), why it's now completely curable, and how stigma unfortunately still persists in some parts of the world today.