Hansen's disease
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of Hansen's disease
1935–40; named after G. H. Hansen (1841–1912), Norwegian physician and discoverer of leprosy-causing Mycobacterium leprae
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But he continued seeing patients at the Hansen’s disease clinic up until the week of his death, apparently from a heart attack while he slept.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
More than 8,000 people, mostly Native Hawaiians, perished at Kalaupapa, including Damien, who eventually contracted leprosy, later called Hansen’s disease.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 1, 2023
In fact, leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is extremely rare in the United States.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2023
Its weather-worn headstones were a reminder of how, in the not-too-distant past, Hansen’s disease was a death sentence.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2023
It is considered one of the best facilities in the world for the treatment of Hansen’s disease.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
