M0001574: Photograph of a wooden "leper clapper"

Previous title, replaced May 2020: Leper Clapper.

Black and white photograph of a wooden "leper clapper" consisting of three pieces of wood joined with tape. In the 17th Century, a person with leprosy known as a "leper" was socially outcast due to their highly contagious condition. They were made to carry a bell or a clapper to warn people of their approach as well as attract attention for charitable donations. This item was previously in the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum, but is not held by Wellcome Collection.

07 January 1931

1 photograph glass plate negative; 16.5 x 12 cm

Catalogue data comes from a combination of entries in the original glass plate registers, metadata created when the glass plates were digitised in the early 2000s and enhancements made by the cataloguer in 2020.

Please consult the digitised version as this item is fragile. Email library@wellcomecollection.org to request access to the physical item.