Two cases of venereal syphilis from the cemetery of the Igreja do Convento do Carmo (Lisboa)

Codinha, Sónia

doi:10.14195/2182-7982_19_3

Cited by 4 publications

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“…In the Portuguese paleopathological record, a treponematosis case study was firstly reported by Lopes and Cardoso (2000) with regard to the bone lesions observed in a right femur and fibula (eventually belonging to the same individual) identified in an ossuary from the Igreja do Convento do Carmo (C. 1500-1800 AD), in Lisbon. Also referring to the city of Lisbon, Codinha (2002) has described possible cases of venereal syphilis identified in two adult male and female skeletons exhumed from the necropolis located in the ruins of the Igreja do Convento do Carmo (16 th -18 th centuries). According to the author, both individuals exhibited remodeled osteolytic lesions in skull compatible with those of caries sicca, as well as an extensive involvement of the long bones from the upper and lower limbs (Codinha, 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A possible case of acquired syphilis at the former Royal Hospital of All-Saints (RHAS) in Lisbon, Portugal (18th century): a comparative methodological approach to differential diagnosis

Assis¹,

Casimiro²,

Cardoso³

2015

anthranz

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Between the years of 1999 and 2001, during the excavation of the Praça da Figueira (Lisbon, Portugal), several human osteological remains from various chronological periods were discovered. Amongst them several skeletons are known to be related with the Hospital Real de Todos-os-Santos (Royal Hospital of All Saints-RHAS), which had an important role. The hospital history begun in 1492 and ended in 1755 largely as a consequence of the Lisbon earthquake. Of the skeletons exhumed, one in particular, the adult female Sk. 1310 showed significant pathological changes. The bone lesions characterized by new bone deposition, with a symmetric and disseminate pattern, were found in the upper limbs, distal end of femurs and in tibia and fibula diaphyses. A bowing deformity with "sabre shape" morphology was also observed in the tibiae. The most striking lesions, characterized by healed nodular cavitations and similar to those of caries sicca, were recorded on the frontal bone. Considering the value of a complete description, as well as the application of multiple lines of enquiry for a reliable differential diagnosis, three distinct techniques were applied and compared: visual examination, imagiology and histology. The results showed that the macroscopic analysis coupled with conventional X-ray analysis were fundamental to obtain a possible diagnosis of acquired syphilis. In contrast, the CT-scan and the histological analyses were less informative. The application of a new scoring system also supports a diagnosis of acquired syphilis. This case-study constitutes the first evidence of syphilis associated with the RHAS, supporting historical data on the pivotal role that this hospital had on the treatment of several conditions, namely, syphilis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A possible case of acquired syphilis at the former Royal Hospital of All-Saints (RHAS) in Lisbon, Portugal (18th century): a comparative methodological approach to differential diagnosis

Assis¹,

Casimiro²,

Cardoso³

2015

anthranz

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“…A XIX century skull found in the Collection of Identified Skulls from Schools of Medicine at the Department of Anthropology, University of Coimbra, shows caries sica lesions (Santos 2004). Two complete skeletons removed from the ruins of the Church of the Carmelite Convent in Lisbon show symmetrical lesions with extensive periosteal lesions in the long bones and star-shaped skull lesions characteristic of treponematoses, probably syphilis, as proposed by Codinha (2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…In fact, although there are historical references to syphilis outbreaks in Portugal, the disease had been diagnosed only rarely through archeological records (Codinha 2002, Lopes & Cardoso 2000, with both cases from Lisbon and dating between 1500 and 1800 AD.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to paleobiological and paleopathological aspects, the paper also provides a summary description of the funeral accoutrements, preparation of the body, and its state of preservation. Given the paucity of information on syphilis from material found in Portuguese archeological sites, knowledge of this infection and its history in the country is based almost exclusively on written documents, with scare findings in human bones from medical collections and historical cemeteries, as reported by one of the authors in a previous article (Codinha 2002). Although the series from the Church of the Sacrament is not representative of the overall Lisboan population, but only part of its elite, these mummies may provide important health information for this historical period, social class, and location, and research on this series of human remains should be continued.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The girl from the Church of the Sacrament: a case of congenital syphilis in XVIII century Lisbon

Souza

Codinha

Cunha

2006

Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz

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Syphilis is a sexually or congenitally transmitted infectious disease with an impact on the health of human populations that has undergone important cycles in different countries and periods of history. Its presence was first diagnosed in Europe in the late XIV century. In Portugal, although there are various written records of the infection in the last centuries, there are rare references to it in archeological findings (mummified bodies are also rare in Portugal). The current study describes a probable case of congenital syphilis in an 18-month-old girl buried in the Church of the Sacrament in Lisbon. Her body, dating to the XVIII century, was found mummified together with dozens of others, still not studied. Symmetrical periostitis of the long bones, osteitis, metaphyseal lesions, left knee articular, and epiphyseal destruction, and a rarefied lesion with a radiological appearance compatible with Wimberger's sign all point to a diagnosis of congenital syphilis. The diagnosis of this severe form of the infection, possibly related to the cause of death in this upper-class girl, calls attention to the disease's presence in XVIII century Lisbon and is consistent with the intense mobilization at the time in relation to the risks posed by so-called heredosyphilis. It is the first case of congenital syphilis in a child reported in archeological findings in Portugal, and can be correlated with other cases in skeletons of adults buried in cemeteries in Lisbon (in the XVI to XVIII centuries) and Coimbra (XIX century). Finally, this finding highlights the need to study the entire series of mummified bodies in the Church of the Sacrament in order to compare the paleopathological findings and existing historical documents on syphilis, so as to expand the paleoepidemiological knowledge of this infection in XVIII century Lisbon.

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“…This might have been historically unnoticed, given the presumably high mobility of sailors in the past and the documented speed with which the epidemic moved (Tognotti, 2009), which would have made any area of the European continent equally affected in a few years. While this is a hypothesis to consider, it is not currently supported by available data, as, to our knowledge, there have been relatively few published cases of palaeopathological putative acquired syphilis (Reverte, 1979;Lopes and Cardoso, 2000;Codinha, 2002;De Souza et al, 2006;Rissech et al, 2013;Schwarz et al, 2013) coming from the Iberian Peninsula before the Modern Age.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Treponemal disease in the Old World? Integrated palaeopathological assessment of a 9th–11th century skeleton from north-central Spain

López

Lopez-Garcia

Costilla

et al. 2017

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The hypothesis of an American origin of acquired (venereal) syphilis and other infectious diseases carried by Columbus's crew has been considered for a long time as the most plausible one, and has been supported recently by considerable anthropological and molecular evidence. According to this line of thought, it can be argued that Spain would have been the gateway of acquired syphilis, which quickly expanded after the return of Columbus in the late 15th century. However, the hypothesis that syphilis previously existed in Europe but went unrecognized has also been considered by many authors. The present work reports one Pre-Columbian putative case of venereal syphilis found in a Spanish necropolis and radiocarbon dated to the 9th-11th century. The complexities of carrying out accurate diagnoses in remains from archaeological timeframes are addressed by the combined use of palaeopathological, medical, and histological techniques. The results, which point toward third-stage acquired syphilis, spark discussion about the need to revisit or complement the theories and hypothesis on the origin of syphilis in the light of a growing body of cases from European historical populations.

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Two cases of venereal syphilis from the cemetery of the Igreja do Convento do Carmo (Lisboa)

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

A possible case of acquired syphilis at the former Royal Hospital of All-Saints (RHAS) in Lisbon, Portugal (18th century): a comparative methodological approach to differential diagnosis

A possible case of acquired syphilis at the former Royal Hospital of All-Saints (RHAS) in Lisbon, Portugal (18th century): a comparative methodological approach to differential diagnosis

The girl from the Church of the Sacrament: a case of congenital syphilis in XVIII century Lisbon

Treponemal disease in the Old World? Integrated palaeopathological assessment of a 9th–11th century skeleton from north-central Spain

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