Abstract
In Europe wide exhibition on ancient diseases in skeletal and mummified remains are scarce. In the last Congress of the EBJIS held last year in Barcelona a small sample of old infection diseases were showed. Until now, only in the specifically meetings of paleopathology it is possible to see some examples of this archaeological pieces. The knowledge of the frequency, prevalence and evolution of the most important infections that use to affect at bone across the time could be important to evaluate the health status of the population.
From February to August 2009 is been open in the Egyptian Museum of Barcelona a wide exhibition of archaeological pieces that shows a wide range of abnormalities and diseases in skeletal and mummified remains. More than 150 pieces belongings at 35 different institutions around the World are shows to the public. Among theses, 58 pieces are present in the Infection Area; they cover a wide range of time in the Mankind History, from the Neolithic Period to the end of the XIX century. We present a sample of the most important pieces of this ambit as poliomyelitis, Hanssen disease, treponematosis, tuberculosis, brucellosis, pyogenic osteomyelitis in diaphysis of long bones and in the spine, hidatidic cists. The diagnoses of some of them are evaluated by molecular evidence. We also shows the mummies of two children, one with tuberculosis and the other with triquinosis, and an adult mummy from the Tiwanaku Culture possible affected of treponematosis.
Correspondence should be addressed to Vienna Medical Academy, Alser Strasse 4, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. Phone: +43 1 4051383 0, Fax: +43 1 4078274, Email: ebjis2009@medacad.org
