“Unclean! Unclean!”
We all likely know the story – about how those with the leprosy, plague, or various other diseases were required to carry bells, clappers, or other instruments with which to draw attention to themselves, and shout “Unclean!” – thus warning any with whom they may happen to come into contact in the streets. It actually stems from a verse of the Hebrew Bible – Leviticus 13:45 to be specific, “And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.”