Lagos leprosarium (Portugal): evidences of disease

2013

Documentary sources refer to leprosy patients in the Portuguese territory since the first century AD, and in the Middle Ages around 70 leprosaria were established. However, prior to 2003 this historical evidence had not been confirmed by archeological findings. The excavation performed in monitoring the rehabilitation done by the Polis program in the area of the Ermida de Santo André (hermitage of Saint Andrew) allowed the exhumation of seven human skeletons, and commingled bones from at least three individuals, in the vicinity of the Beja leprosarium. The objective of this study is to present the paleopathological lesions relevant to the discussion of the differential diagnosis of leprosy. Macroscopic observation of the bones and scrutiny of lesions according to the paleopathological literature allowed the identification of a probable case of leprosy in an adult male, showing rhinomaxillary changes and concentric remodeling of hand and foot bones, and four possible cases (two young adults and two adults, all probably males), with a set of lesions in facial bones and skeletal extremities. The poor preservation of the bones precluded further confirmation of this diagnosis. According to historical data, the leprosaria functioned between the 14th and 16th centuries AD. The exact chronology of these findings was not determined either during the excavation or by radiocarbon dating because the bones presented poor collagen levels. In Portugal as a whole there are few osteological evidences of leprosy, and thus this study adds new information about this chronic infectious disease.

Cadernos do GEEvH 2 (2), 2013

This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third party websites are prohibited. In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier's archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: http://www.elsevier.com/copyright a b s t r a c t The aim of this study is to investigate and discuss the cases of leprosy diagnosed on two skeletal individuals from an early mediaeval necropolis at Morrione (Campochiaro, Molise, Central Italy), dated to the 6th–8th century AD. At present only two inhumation areas have been found in Campochiaro: one at Morrione and the other at Vicenne. Since no signs of a stable settlement or built-up area have been found, it seems the cemeteries can be attributed to a semi-nomadic Lombard-Avar group. This site may have represented a military outpost to control the area against Byzantine invasions. The skeletons of a female (40–46 years) and a male (50–55 years), from tombs 68 and 108, revealed several bony changes indicative of leprosy with clear rhino-maxillary syndrome in both specimens. There is a scarcity of information in the osteoarchaeological literature of leprosy in ancient Italy. The significance of these cases is that they add to an understanding of the history of the disease in Italy and to the data set necessary to understand the epidemiological dynamics in the Mediterranean basin during the ancient period.

Information about a leprologist in Brazil who experienced to visit University of Bradford and study medieval lepers skeletons. The exchange of information about clinical leprosy and paleopathology, a new science to study ancient medical events.

2021

Francisco CURATE, Telmo ANTÓNIO 11:50-The many faces of a disease: five possible cases of treponematosis from Tomar (11th-17th centuries), Portugal Ana CURTO, Teresa FERNANDES, Cláudia RELVADO, Célia LOPES 12:00-Possible association between porous skeletal lesions and respiratory infections in juveniles from the Coimbra Identified Skeletal Collection*

In 2008, during an archaeological excavation on the medieval site of Montecorvino (Foggia, Puglia, Italy), ten individuals were found buried near the principal church. The tombs were dated to the 13th-14th centuries AD, except for one attributable to the 11th century AD. The individual from tomb MCV2 shows some bone changes in the rhinomaxillary area. The most probable diagnosis is that she suffered from a type of near-multibacillary leprosy. Although leprosy has been documented in Italy from the first millennium BC and well described in the first millennium AD, its presence seems to be confined to Northern and Central Italy. This is the first case of leprosy in southeastern Italy and the second in Southern Italy overall. At the moment, the interesting datum is that leprosy seems to appear in Southern Italy only after the first millennium AD. All this could be because of the First Crusade with the opening of new trade and pilgrimage routes to the Near East or simply because other cases of leprosy have still not been found in osteoarchaeological context.

International Journal of Paleopathology, 2014

An early 15th-century burial from a basilica at Polis Chrysochous provides the first archaeological evidence of leprosy in Cyprus, extending the temporal depth and illuminating the biological and social history of this disease on the island. The skeletal remains of a young adult female (age 20-34 years) display pathognomonic features of lepromatous leprosy including maxillary alveolar resorption with antemortem loss of all but one incisor, remodeling of the margin of the nasal sill and resorption of the anterior nasal spine, with diaphyseal remodeling of hand and foot phalanges and the distal third through fifth metatarsals of both feet. Periosteal reaction on distal tibiae and the majority of both fibulae demonstrates tracking of inflammation from the feet to lower legs. Use wear on the remaining maxillary incisor signals participation in common occupational activities in life. Although disfigured and debilitated, burial inside the narthex of the basilica indicates that the community did not ostracize this woman in death. This contextualized analysis provides insight into the biological and social consequences of living with leprosy and illustrates the changing attitudes toward those afflicted with this disease in Cyprus.

Antropologia Portuguesa, 2016

This paper presents the osteological analysis of a young adult exhumed from the cemetery associated to Igreja do Carmo, Lisbon, Portugal, during the second archaeological intervention in 2010/2011. Although the cemetery had been used between the beginning of the 15 th century and 1755 A.D., the archaeological context of the burial allows us to gauge its dating between the 17 th and the 18 th centuries. The skeleton is distinguished by a cranial morphology suggestive of an African origin and intentional dental modifications. These consist of the removal of both incisal angles of the upper incisors, which corresponds to a practice related to culture, commonly made in sub-Saharan Africa since prehistoric times to the present. A periapical lesion was associated to the maxillary right central incisor that was apparently healthy but modified. The left clavicle showed bone remodelling along the shaft. Five ribs displayed new bone deposition, and the sternal end of the first left rib was deformed and destroyed. The differential diagnosis of the lesions gave rise to several possible pathological conditions, namely, treponematosis and chronic respiratory disease, particularly tuberculosis. Various macroscopic aspects and the geographical context lead us to consider venereal syphilis as the most probable diagnose. Considering that, during the 16 th century, Lisbon has become a fundamental part of the intercontinental maritime routes it is not surprising that African people were buried in the cemeteries of Lisbon, allowing us to learn more about their lives and deaths.