Did Covenant get his leprosy from a wild armadillo?

[michaelm]

It's never resolved where Covenant was exposed to leprosy, so I did a little digging. Obviously he is in the US, but the state he lives in is not revealed (unless my memory is playing tricks on me).

One thing that I did find out is that leprosy can be carried by wild armadillos in the southern US states. As his leprosarium was in Louisiana, that makes sense that there is a higher rate in the southern states.

Source:

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1010536

Has anyone else ever wondered about how he got his leprosy? No explanation is really needed in the books, but now that I'm reading the books again, I have got to thinking about this again.

[Orlion]

Regarding armadillos, Donaldson had this little to say:

Matt Verdier: In one of the Covenant books you speak about leprosy. I seem to recall that you mention that part of the problem with leprosy was that it had not been sucessfully isolated for study.

I have in the last year read that scientist have been able to study leprosy since the writing of the books and have discovered that Armadillos can carry leprosy. I was further astonished to discover that 1 in 20 armadillos in the wild carry the disease. Humas for the most part are immune to it these days except for a very small percentage of people who have not inherited that immunity.

Hmm, there is not really a question there, just an interesting bit of facts that I'd be curious to know if you have heard about. Hope you are doing well, Matt.





Yes, I did know. It's unfortunate in the sense (and ONLY in the sense) that it makes the earlier "Covenant" books anachronistic. But that can't be helped. In one way or another, every book is the product of its time. Just look at the "Axbrewder/Fistoulari" novels. <sigh>

(02/11/2009)

Ultimately, I do not think the source matters... and leprosy was probably used because, at the time, it still had quite a bit of mystery around it... it could still be viewed as an infliction of God.

[michaelm]

Actually I realized that there has been some enlightening research since the first books were written, and of course, leprosy is the major defining factor in Covenant (with all the judgments, comparisons, philosophical discussions, etc. being a result of his condition), and it was inspired on Donaldson's part to make a regular Joe a leper in modern America.

It was more intrigue on my part where it could have come from and if there is any way that it could be transmitted in modern America that is understood. As there are actual leprosariums in the US, it means that there is greater than zero cases, but I wanted to understand more.

[wayfriend]

Orlion left out this part.

Therefore, I do not regret the inclusion of the Wraiths of Andelain, which of course are a metaphor for armadillos. In an early draft, they were the Wraiths of Armadillain, but Lester simply would not allow it. Too obvious, he said. Don't beat them over the head with it, he said. Trust your reader, he said. What did he know? <grin>

(02/11/2009)

[michaelm]

Interestingly, that was only confirmed in 2011 and was only speculation prior to that. I see that he said that prior to the confirmation of it.

[ussusimiel]

You may not know wayfriend as well as we do, mm, but our resident SRD scholar also has an impish streak in him I would guess that this is a stylish joke on his part

u.

[wayfriend]

See also:

Thomas Covenant infected by Armadillo?

So TC lived in the South...

Where did Covenant's Leprosy come from ?

Leper's Best Friend

But danlo gets credit for the first leper armadillo post.

[sgt.null]

leper armadillo would be an awesome name for a death metal band. in fact, I'm stealing it for the gomer black project.

[peter]

I look forward to flicking past 'Leper Armadillo' then as I channel surf through the MTV channels for the umpteenth time looking for something I like, Sarge.