2023-09-27 10:33:46
Christopher Columbus was accused of bringing the sexually transmitted disease back to Europe upon returning from his voyage to the Caribbean in 1493. But analysis of a French corpse suggests the disease was already there as early as the 7th century.
At the end of the 15th century, it was also called the large pox : syphilis spread quickly across Europe, starting from the genitals to the face which was suddenly eaten away by purulent boils. This sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacteria Treponema pale truly swept away those who caught it, because the sick might suffer from violent fevers and serious inflammation of the respiratory tract. Disfigured, they might die. If there were already suspicions regarding the appearance of syphilis in the Middle Ages, historians have linked this violent epidemic to a mutated form brought back by Christopher Columbus, who returned from the “New World” in 1493.
A French revelation
Because syphilis would have started to spread, such a devastating scourge, around the time of his return to Spain. Mercenary soldiers, particularly Spanish, who crossed different kingdoms to wage war, might have been at the origin of its diffusion, recalls a recent article in Wired. But scientists have been warning for several years regarding the possible presence of the STI before this period. For example, studies have shown that teeth and bones of some medieval skeletons were attacked, which suggests potential contamination with syphilis. But a new French studypublished by a team of researchers from Aix-Marseille University led by professor of microbiology Michel Drancourt, reports real evidence of its presence on a mysterious corpse from the 7th or 8th century.
This time, doctors analyzed the skeleton’s DNA to look for the presence of the bacteria causing the infection. And they did find traces of pale treponema as well as indices of the body’s immunological reaction to it, in the remains of this person found buried in a chapel in Provence. “Until now, these were just hypotheses” supported by “no solid evidence”, reacted the expert to Wired. “To my knowledge, this is the first proven evidence that syphilis was circulating in Europe before Christopher Columbus.”
The scientific debate on the appearance of syphilis has not yet been resolved, and both theories might be correct: the disease might already be partially present in France and Europe, before the explorers of the Americas brought back with them a mutant strain of the bacteria.
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⋙ The face reconstructed in 3D of a woman disfigured by syphilis and died during the Renaissance
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