Re: Pre-contact diseases anyone???

SHICKLEY@VM.TEMPLE.EDU
Thu, 13 Jul 95 15:24:47 EDT

In article <3u1gkn$gj0@newsbf02.news.aol.com>
whelko@aol.com (Whelko) writes:

>
>Wow! Looks like I asked the right group about the rheumatoid arthritis/
>americas connection. Many thanks to all who responded. Also looks like I
>had it turned around a bit...I had probably read something about a
>possible ORIGIN of Rheumatoid arthritis in the americas. The following
>article seems to be on this subject, but seems to be from a pretty obscure
>source. Anybody have more info on this? (or willing to mail me a xerox
>copy) Is evidence for RA lacking from non-american precontact bones?
>
> Symmetrical erosive disease in Archaic Indians: the origin
> of rheumatoid arthritis in the New World?.
> Source
> Seminars in Arthritis & Rheumatism. 19(5):278-84, 1990
> Apr.
>
>While we're at it, what's the straight dope on origin of syphillis? I've
>read and heard stories of an american origin for this disease as
>well-complete with details about a similar spirochete from llamas, and
>speculative theories about unwholesome behavior by some of Pizarro's men.
>Myth?
>Thanks,
>Chris Welch [whelko@aol.com]
You can draw your own conclusions about syphillis. Here's a selected
group of references on the subject:

Authors
Lewis B.
Title
Treponematosis and Lyme borreliosis connections:
explanation for Tchefuncte disease syndromes?.
Source
American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 93(4):455-75,
1994 Apr.

Authors
Hutchinson DL.
Title
Treponematosis in regional and chronological perspective
from central Gulf Coast Florida.
Source
American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 92(3):249-61,
1993 Nov.

Authors
Scheidegger S.
Title
[Tertiary bone syphilis from the Middle Ages. A
paleopathology study]. [German]
Original Title
Tertiare Knochensyphilis aus mittelalterlicher Zeit. Eine
palaopathologische Untersuchung.
Source
Pathologe. 10(3):177-81, 1989 May.

Authors
Rothschild BM.
Title
Existence of syphilis in a Pleistocene bear [letter].
Source
Nature. 335(6191):595, 1988 Oct 13.

Authors
Iscan MY. Miller-Shaivitz P.
Title
Prehistoric syphilis in Florida.
Source
Journal of the Florida Medical Association. 72(2):109-13,
1985 Feb.

Authors
Guerra F.
Title
The dispute over syphilis. Europe versus America.
Source
Clio Medica. 13(1):39-61, 1978 Jun.

Authors
Rabello FE.
Title
[Origins of syphilis]. [French]
Original Title
Les origines de la syphilis.
Source
Nouvelle Presse Medicale. 2(20):1376-80, 1973 May 19.

Authors
Gejvall NG. Henschen F.
Title
Anatomical evidence of pre-columbian syphilis in the
West Indian Islands.
Source
Beitrage zur Pathologie. 144(2):138-57, 1971 Sep.

Authors
Wright DJ.
Title
Syphilis and Neanderthal man.
Source
Nature. 229(5284):409, 1971 Feb 5.
Hope this helps your quest. Best regards,
Tim Shickley (shickley@vm.temple.edu)