Elephantiasis Graecorum, true leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic bacterial infection. It is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and lepromatosis. A person infected can be symptomless for years but also could suffer with granulomas (small tumours) affecting various parts of the body such as the skin and nervous system and also poorly pigmented patches of skin. It is a mildly contagious disease which can be treated with antimicrobial drug therapies. Chromolithograph, 1878-1888. Illustration by E. Burgess after R. W. Sherwin, Mabel Green and Jonathan Hutchinson.