Human intestinal parasites in crusader Acre: Evidence for migration with disease in the medieval period

Mitchell, Piers D.; Anastasiou, Evilena; Syon, Danny

doi:10.1016/j.ijpp.2011.10.005

Cited by 31 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Papers by Bouchet et al (2002), Reinhard et al (2008), and Mitchell et al (2011) reinforce the relevance of paleoparasitology to inform on timeless epidemiological processes such as the translocation of parasites to new environments and enhanced transmission opportunities for new host populations that arise from globalization. Studies on non-human fecal materials from paleontological sites in South America likewise helped to redefine the anthropocentric focus of paleoparasitology.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Three papers published since 2000 also focused attention on the translocation of parasitic species outside of their natural endemic areas. Mitchell et al (2011) described the occurrence of D. latum from latrine sediments in the Medieval-period Kingdom of Jerusalem. The parasite was thought to have been translocated from its North European endemic area by soldiers and pilgrims traveling to the Levant during the 13th Century Crusades.…”

Section: The Sub-discipline Of Paleoparasitology: 2000 To the Presentmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A Retrospective Examination of Paleoparasitology and Its Establishment in the Journal of Parasitology

Faulkner

Reinhard

2014

Journal of Parasitology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: The Sub-discipline Of Paleoparasitology: 2000 To the Presentmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Retrospective Examination of Paleoparasitology and Its Establishment in the Journal of Parasitology

Faulkner

Reinhard

2014

Journal of Parasitology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…eggs have been found in two thirteenth-century latrines in the coastal city of Acre. One was a large latrine block of the Order of St. John with 35 seats, and the other a cesspool in a private house in the residential quarter of the city (Mitchell and Stern, 2001;Mitchell et al, 2008aMitchell et al, , 2011. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Acre was under the control of the crusaders from Europe, and lay within the Frankish Kingdom of Jerusalem.…”

Section: Detecting Migrationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human Parasites in Medieval Europe

Mitchell

2015

Advances in Parasitology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…The historical descriptions of these undifferentiated febrile illnesses suggest that malaria or typhus were the most likely causes, but there are numerous other possibilities3 and great care must be taken when using historical texts to make retrospective diagnoses 4. A wide range of intestinal parasite eggs have now been identified from ancient Crusader latrines5 and it is likely that other infectious causes of gastroenteritis were also prevalent.…”

Section: British Military Experiences In the Middle Agesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A brief history of British military experiences with infectious and tropical diseases

Bailey

2013

J R Army Med Corps

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Infectious and tropical diseases have been a problem for British expeditionary forces ever since the Crusades. Outbreaks were especially common on Navy ships from the 16th to 18th centuries due to poor living conditions and travel to the tropics. However, since these occurred in small, isolated and controlled environments it meant that naval medical practitioners were able to keep detailed records and develop empirical approaches for their prevention. The first Royal Naval Hospitals were established in response to these diseases and Royal Navy doctors made valuable early contributions towards understanding them. Even larger outbreaks of infectious and tropical diseases occurred in the Army during the Napoleonic, Crimean and Boer Wars and throughout the colonial era, which strongly influenced the formation of the Army Medical Services including provision for teaching and research. The establishment of germ theory led to a golden era of discovery regarding these diseases and British Army doctors made numerous important contributions. Subsequent improvements in prevention, diagnosis and treatment reduced the mortality from infectious and tropical diseases during the World Wars, but they remained a significant problem in the non-European campaigns and also the numerous ‘small wars’ that followed. Even in the 21st century some of these diseases still cause outbreaks with significant morbidity and impact on deployments, but the military clinical and academic resources to deal with them are now much reduced. Preventive measures such as hygiene, sanitation, infection control, vaccination and chemoprophylaxis are invaluable, but history shows that these can become neglected over time and disrupted or overwhelmed during the early or most intense stages of military operations. This is why military specialists in infectious diseases, tropical medicine, sexual health, medical microbiology and communicable diseases control are still required.

show abstract

Human intestinal parasites in crusader Acre: Evidence for migration with disease in the medieval period

Cited by 31 publications

References 20 publications

A Retrospective Examination of Paleoparasitology and Its Establishment in the Journal of Parasitology

A Retrospective Examination of Paleoparasitology and Its Establishment in the Journal of Parasitology

Human Parasites in Medieval Europe

A brief history of British military experiences with infectious and tropical diseases

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About