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Hello Randy! There are two things that drag you out of the woodwork, 2LOT and Noah’s ark. You must have only two books on your shelf: 2LOT for Dummies, and Noah’s ark for Dummies.
Well here’s Fred again with his fairy tales. I do have Noah’s ark for dummies all right but Woodmorappe gave it a slightly different title, something about a feasibility study. I also have Sarfati’ book, Creationism for the Complete Idiot but he also gave it a slightly different title (Refuting Evolution).
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I should point out that while leprosy (from Mycobacterium leprae) is an infectious disease it is in fact very difficult to contract. It requires long and intimate contact with infected people and even then not all contract it. I have asked some dermatologists who have experience with this disease and they agree that it would not be possible to contract it from walls.
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Impossible? If the bacteria can live for 3 weeks or more, it is certainly possible. Unlikely? Perhaps. Question: If you were forced to live with a leper, would you regularly wash yourself, your clothes, and anything in your room you think he might have rubbed up against? Case closed.
What I said was told to me by dermatologists including one who has practiced in Africa and has direct experience dealing with and treating leprosy. You can’t contract it from walls period. Below is what the Meck Manual says about it.
Leprosy - Infections - Merck Manuals Consumer Version
Isolation, however, is unnecessary. Leprosy is contagious only in the untreated lepromatous form, and even then it isn't easily transmitted to others. Furthermore, most people are naturally immune to leprosy, and only those in a household with an infected person for an extended time are at risk of developing an infection. Doctors and nurses who treat people with leprosy do not appear to be at increased risk.
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If you are going to put forward some supposed Biblical knowledge of leprosy one might also point out that the Biblically prescribed treatment is totally worthless.
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It is? You must have missed the part where Hyssop oil has been shown to contain 50% antifungal and antibacterial agents.
The first available treatment for leprosy was dapsone and it only controlled the disease not cured it. With modern multiple antibiotic therapy the disease can now be cured. Hyssop is totally worthless for treating leprosy and I don’t think bird’s blood would help much either, even if it was blessed by a priest.
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BTW which of Noah's children or daughters-in-law do YECs think was the leper? I don't see how else the disease could have survived the worldwide flood.
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Who said the disease existed before the flood? Surely you are aware the vast majority of bacteria are beneficial ecological agents? You are also surely aware that mutation occurs? I submit that the Mycobacterium leprae bacillus is a bacteria that was once a useful ecological agent before the flood, and mutated after the flood into its nasty form we see today
I believe the post-flood environment resulted in an increase in harmful mutations. There is both Biblical and scientific evidence for this, but I obviously cannot be dogmatic on it. It is entirely reasonable and possible that a post-flood world would see a rapid increase in mutated bacteria, including undesirables such as Mycobacterium leprae.
You can believe this absurd fantasy all you want. Just don’t call it science.
Randy
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