A Question of Origins: Skeletal Evidence in the History of Venereal Syphilis

Abstract

This paper examines the history of the debate regarding the origins of the venereal syphilis that “emerged” in Europe at the end of the fifteenth century, particularly the ways that ancient skeletal remains have contributed to discourse surrounding the origins of the disease since the discovery of syphilitic lesions by Jones in 1876, and how this discourse was rooted in racial thought, stereotyping, and medical stigmatization.