Probable Treponematosis in Human Skeletons from the Himrin Basin of Iraq

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is, first, to present the brief outline of human treponematoses in the World, and second, to appreciate the clinical, osteological, and epidemiological manifestations of treponematosis (endemic syphilis) in Mesopotamia (Iraq) with the paleopathological descriptions on new two skeletons of the Islamic period. The two human skeletal remains which had been excavated from Tell Gubba in the Himrin basin of Iraq showed remarkable pathological changes probably by endemic syphilis. They were of a young adult male and of a mature adult female and were well-preserved. The skull, scapula, ribs, radius, ulna, metacarpal bones, femur, tibia, fibula, and metatarsal bones in the skeletons were involved. The lesions revealed various appearances such as discoloured and pitted or only irregular external surface, striae formation of the compact bone, and deformation of the bone due to circumferential or partial expansion of the compact bone in the macroscopic observations, and as thickening of the compact bone and slight narrowing of the medullary cavity in the roentgenograms. There is little accumulation of the paleopathological data on the endemic diseases in Mesopotamia. Therefore, this description is necessary to appre- ciate the osteological manifestation, prevalence, and, if possible, history of treponematosis in Mesopotamia.