Historical accounts in assessing paleopathology of Native Americans • 115 



The skeletal remains indicate an extraordinarily high fre- 

 quency of skeletal tuberculosis with 30% of the cemetery 

 exhibiting lesions of the spine, ribs and/or hip (Kelley and 

 Robinson in prep; Robinson etal. 1985; Kelley 1986). Since 

 not all individuals with tuberculosis exhibit skeletal lesions, 

 the number of individuals suffering from this infection must 

 have been considerably higher. 



The rise in tuberculosis rates among New England Indians 

 was noticed by some colonists even during the 17th century. 

 In the 1690s Daniel Gookin made the following, rather re- 

 markable statement: 



Sundry of those Indian youths dies, that were bred up to 

 school among the Knglish. The truth is, this disease is fre- 

 quent among the Indians; and sundry die of it, that live not 

 with the English. A hcctick fever, issuing in a consump- 

 tion, is a common and mortal disease among them. / know 

 some . . . have attributed it unto the great change upon 

 their bodies, in respect of their diet, lodging, apparel, stud- 

 ies; so much different from what they wer inured to among 

 their own countrymen. (1792:173, italics mine) 



The association between altered lifestyle and elevated tu- 

 berculosis rates is widely acknowledged today. Figure 1 de- 

 picts the Rl-1000 burial ground plan. An interesting pattern 

 emerges when individuals with tuberculous lesions are col- 

 ored in. Whether this represents disease spread within sever- 

 al family households, or a flare-up of tuberculosis in the 

 community, or enhance chance distribution is uncertain. 

 Williams's description of the Narragansett social practice of 

 visiting the sick is perhaps insightful. He wrote: 



The visit of friends, and neighbours, a poore empty visit 

 and presence, and yet indeed this is very solemne, unlesse 

 it be in infectius diseases, and then all forsake them and 

 flic, that I have often scene a poore house left alone in the 

 wild woods, all being fled, the living not able to bury the 

 dead: so terrible is the apprehensions of an infectious dis- 

 ease, that not only persons, but the houses and whole 

 towne takes flight. (Williams 1643:210) 



Such a practice may have been a key element in postepidemic 

 Narragansett decline. Crowding around or simply cohabitat- 

 ing with a sick person who was perceived as not suffering an 

 infectious disease (which would almost certainly include 

 chronic tuberculosis) could result in the pattern observed in 

 Figure 1. 



In humans, tuberculosis occurs as an acute or chronic 

 infection caused by either Mycobacterium tuberculosis (hu- 

 man form) or Mycobacterium bovis (bovine form). The hu- 

 man form is primarily transmitted from person to person by 

 inhalation of the bacilli into the lung. This pulmonary infec- 

 tion, which is often contracted during infancy and childhood, 

 may spread rapidly to other portions of the body or become 

 encapsulated and remain dormant for years or decades. The 

 extreme prevalence of tuberculosis was (and continues to be 



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6>, 



Rl 1000 



e 



PLAN OF BURIALS ^ 6^ 





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e 





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 "^ ' '> ^. / 1,5.6,7,53-57 



Figure 1 . Rl-1000 burial ground plan. Shaded areas indicate 

 individuals displaying skeletal manifestation of tuberculosis. 



in certain areas of the world today) due to such factors as 

 malnutrition, overcrowding, war. social upheaval, poverty, 

 alcoholism, and smoking (Lester 1981:972; Burnet and 

 White 1975:217). At least some of these conditions were 

 present in mid- 17th century southern New England Indian 

 communities. 



Certainly other infectious diseases were taking a toll 

 among the Narragansetts. Pneumonia and dysentery (gas- 

 troenteritis), while not leaving any telltale lesions on the 

 bones, are noted in early accounts (Williams 1643) and in- 

 deed are still a serious problem in American Indians today. 

 Evidence for a treponemal infection at Rl-1000 was noted in 

 one young adult female. The nasal cavity is extensively de- 

 stroyed and the young woman's hands were placed imme- 

 diately in front of her face — a pattern not seen in the other 

 burials. Williams (1643) reported that the Narragansett "hot- 

 house" was used in treating the French disease (i.e., syph- 

 ilis). Finally, one all-pervasive, chronic disease present at 

 Rl-1000 was severe dental disease (see Kelley et al. 1987 for 

 detailed discussion). 



Each of these chronic conditions was capable of directly or 

 indirectly claiming human life and no doubt contributed to 

 the steady attrition of New England Indians in the mid- 17th 



Zagreb Pateopathotogy Symp. 1988 



