A leper colony is a place where people with leprosy were sent in order to segregate them from the rest of the population (thereby hopefully stopping the spread of the disease). Leper colonies were a cultural side-effect of leprosy, one of the most deadly and disfiguring diseases of all time.
Leprosy still exists today, particularly in the developing world, but is easily treatable with antibiotic therapy.
Before there was a cure, people would send the infected to what were called "leper colonies". In these leper colonies, the people with leprosy would have to fend for themselves, with very few supplies. They were cruel, lawless places, with very little shelter, where the infected would live out their lives. Theft, violence, and abuse were common.
Famous and/or long-surviving leper colonies were located in Kalaupapa, Hawaii; Chacachacare, Trinidad; and Spinalonga, Crete. Many such colonies were located on islands, so as to better segregate the sickly from the general population. Some leper colonies issued their own money (such as tokens), in the belief that allowing lepers to handle regular money could spread the disease.
