He (supposedly) discovered America; Did he introduce a serious illness to all of Europe? It’s a question surrounding Christopher Columbus that is tearing the scientific world apart. The explorer may have imported syphilis to Europe. This sexually transmitted infection (STI) can cause serious health problems, including several decades after transmission, with irreversible physical and mental problems.
This theory has been making its way into the scientific community for several years, underlines
Le Figaro
. In 1495, after the return of Christopher Columbus, an intense epidemic of a still unknown disease slowed down the Italian campaign of the French king Charles VIII. Until now, the idea that the former governor of India imported syphilis was not considered credible. But a study by the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig is reshuffling the cards.
DNA confirms that it is indeed Christopher Columbus who rests in Seville. Firstly, the study supposes that confusion could exist between three diseases triggered by the bacteria Treponema pallidum: syphilis, yaws (tropical infection which is transmitted by the skin) and bejel (transmitted through the mucous membranes). It is indeed impossible to differentiate one of these diseases on a skeleton.
Syphilis has long been present in America
For having imported the disease into Europe, the former governor of
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Source LePoint.fr
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