Christopher Columbus’s not-so-sexy cultural exchange
Jeez, with all the terrible things that can happen to a person these days just from a little hanky panky, syphilis seems like the least of our worries. But, hey, one can never be overly educated when it comes to STDs.
To that end, evolutionary biologists have stayed hot on the trail of the itchy scratchies – sometimes rendering surprising results. A new study, released by Kristin Harper at Emory University in Atlanta, implicates Christopher Columbus and his crew as the folks responsible for bringing syphilis (reputed to be a subspecies of a South American tropical disease) to Europe. I don’t know who’s in charge of PR for that guy, but his historical stock seems to plunge with every passing decade.
Though no one seems entirely certain about the origins of syphilis, the “Columbian theory” seems quite plausible – especially in light of the fact that the disease became epidemic in Europe in 1495 – once the fellas came home from pillaging the Americas. Transmitted sexually, syphilis can lead to blindness, paralysis and dementia if left untreated. And though infection is currently at an all time low in this country (the lowest rate since monitoring began in 1941), studying its origin is key to understanding how STDs mutate and spread.
Before we get too down on Chris, it’s important to note the disclaimer stated by BBC website h2g2: “Syphilis can cause so many symptoms that a historian with a fertile imagination can easily find evidence that a person was infected with little effort or corroboration.”
True enough – but wouldn’t it be cool if Columbus Day were now dedicated to spreading awareness of sexually transmitted diseases? Awesome.
Just to end on a silly note, feel free to take 15 minutes out of your life to view parts one, two and three of the Kansas State Board of Health’s syphilis scare film The Innocent Party. This little cinematic festival of spirochetes was designed to scare the pants off (or on, as it turns out) teenagers in the ‘50s. Crotch critters were never so adorable.
Wendy Case is the MOLI View's contributing editor for Arts & Entertainment.
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