Disease in the Near East during crusader times

"The study of disease in the past, termed paleopathology, can involve the analysis of human skeletal remains, mummies, latrine soil, artwork, excavated medical equipment and written texts. In the areas of the Near East where the crusades took place from 1099-1291, the human skeletal remains and latrines at a number of sites have been studied for evidence of disease." What were the findings? 

"This overview has brought together much of the evidence for paleopathology of those populations who lived in the Latin East at the time of the crusades. We can see that there was considerable evidence for trauma due to weapon injuries, but also accidents well away from the battlefield. 

It has been shown that childhood was a high-risk time in the medieval period, with many children dying before the age of five. There is evidence for a good proportion of children surviving serious illness before later dying from another condition, and a fair number had chronic anaemia. 

 

Intestinal parasites were widespread, with evidence for roundworm, whipworm, Taenia tapeworm and fish tapeworm. However, every latrine contained a different combination of parasite species, which indicates that there were distinct variations in the types of worms that infected different people. 

 

Protozoan parasites that cause dysentery were also found, and this may explain the written descriptions of outbreaks of dysentery during certain military campaigns. Two species of parasite (fish tapeworm and Entamoeba histolytica) also appear to reflect the long distance migrations of crusaders and pilgrims from Europe. (...) 

 

The results presented here all come from the Frankish Kingdom of Jerusalem and kingdom of Cyprus, so we remain ignorant of the situation in the county of Tripoli, the principality of Antioch and the county of Edessa"

This blog quotes the complete introduction and conclusions of the paper by Mitchell, P.D.  (2016) Palaeopathology of the Crusades. In: Sinibaldi, M., Lewis, K.J., Major, B., Thompson, J.A. (eds) Crusader Landscapes in the Medieval Levant: the Archaeology and History of the Latin East. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, p.349-59; consulted on Academia.edu, February 5, 2023.The illustration shows a 13th-century illustration showing the veins, Public Domain, source Wikipedia.

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