A possible case of acquired syphilis on a skeleton from the Ermida do Espírito Santo (15th–19th centuries, Almada, Portugal)

Abstract

The Ermida do Espírito Santo, in the city of Almada, was probably founded during the 14th or 15th centuries but after the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 — and until the end of the 18th century — was the head of the parish of Santa Maria do Castelo, a period during which it was used as a funerary space. During an archaeological excavation previous to the requalification of the Ermida, the skeletal remains of 88 individuals were recovered. In this paper, we present
skeletal lesions probably related with a case of venereal syphilis in an adult female. As such, a small focus of caries sicca was observed in the right frontal region — a pathognomonic lesion in paleopathology. The frontal (near the right orbital bone) and both zygomatic bones exhibited microporosity and new bone formation. The right humerus and femur, as well as the left tibia and clavicle, show periostitis and osteitis, with an extensive enlargement of the diaphysis. The observed lesions are not bilateral, except in the zygomatics. Other diagnostic options — namely other treponematoses — are considered
in the historical context of the Ermida.