Film Critique: Secrets of the dead: The Siphilis Enigma
Student: Monica G. Villanueva
Course: MDLB 4100 Immunology
Submitted: November 22, 2016 In Secrets of the dead: The Syphilis Enigma, the documentary poses the question “who-gave-who” syphilis when Christopher Columbus and his crew set sail to the New World to encounter the Native Americans in 1492. Charlotte Roberts, a paleopathologist, is determined to share her theory of the existence of syphilis during pre-Columbian times after the discovery of four skeletons with “syphilis-like” bone lesions in the Hull Friary. Particularly, skeleton 1216 displayed undeniable evidence of syphilis such as holes in the palette, bone lesions in the skull, and destructive lesions on the thigh bones. …show more content…
Radioactive carbon in the bones of skeleton 1216 date back to 1300-1420 A.D, approximately seventy years before Columbian times. With the written records, functionality of society, business of prostitutes, and new evidence of skeleton 1216, the documentary persuades the audience that syphilis existed in Europe before the time of Columbus and the potential consideration to rewrite the history of syphilis.
Although the documentary emphasized information about skeleton 1216, the bone lesions and findings on the other three skeletons were briefly mentioned. The film claims 60% of 245 skeletons recovered at the excavation site were mentioned but not evaluated or talked about in depth throughout the documentary. Ancient skeletons can commonly develop periosteal reactions in which the bone thickens, expands, and displays shallow pitting on the exterior surface. Periosteal reactions are distinct features that are not diagnostic of