A Probable Case of Leprosy from Colonial Period St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Southeastern Caribbean
Published In
International Journal of Paleopathology
Document Type
Citation
Publication Date
3-1-2022
Abstract
Objective
To document and differentially diagnose facial pathology found in an isolated skull from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, southeastern Caribbean. To directly date this individual using radiocarbon dating.
Materials
Isolated skull recovered from Petite Mustique Island.
Methods
Describe facial pathology occurring in this individual and compare with known diseases or disease processes that impact the craniofacial complex.
Results
Features of the rhinomaxillary syndrome are present, indicating a diagnosis of leprosy. Dating places the time of death to the late 18th or early 19th centuries.
Conclusions
Analysis of the rhinomaxillary syndrome produces a diagnosis of early-stage leprosy in an individual that correlates with the apparent attempt to locate a leprosarium on Petite Mustique Island in the first decade of the 19th century.
Significance
Location and time corroborate historical records of at least one attempt to locate a leprosarium on Petite Mustique Island. Only directly dated individual with leprosy in the western hemisphere and possibly the earliest yet recorded.
Limitations
This is an isolated find that is archaeologically unprovenienced.
Rights
© 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Locate the Document
DOI
10.1016/j.ijpp.2021.10.004
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/36766
Citation Details
Nelson, G. C., Dodrill, T. N., & Fitzpatrick, S. M. (2022). A probable case of leprosy from colonial period St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Southeastern Caribbean. International Journal of Paleopathology, 36, 7–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2021.10.004