Italian explorer Christopher Columbus has long been fingered for introducing syphilis to Europe after he returned from the New World.
But researchers at the Medical University of Vienna believe they have identified cases of congenital syphilis in skeletons that pre-date Columbus’ trips.
The skeletons were exhumed in the Cathedral Square in the city of St. Pölten in lower Austria. Examination revealed signs of congenital syphilis which is passed from mother to child.
The bones date from 1320 and could be the first proof that the disease was already in Europe more than a century and a half before it could have been brought back from the Americas.
Two typical defects were seen in the skeletons’ teeth – distinctive notches in the incisors and globular growths of excess enamel in the molars.
Microbiologists are to examine the samples to see if they can detect the presence of syphilis in the skeletons.
The first documented syphilis outbreak was in Naples in 1495. They led many to conclude that sailors on Columbus’ 1492 voyage brought it back from the Americas.
Skeletal remains of native Americans attest the existence of the disease prior to 1492.
