Soiled Doves and Fighting Men: Sexually Transmitted Diseases in 19th Century Tucson, Arizona

Summary

This is an abstract from the "POSTER Session 1: A Focus on Cultures, Populations, and Ethnic Groups" session, at the 2019 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Sexually transmitted diseases, such as syphillis and gonorrhea, were commonplace on the frontier in the 19th century. The spread of such diseases is often attributed to the fact that prostitution was also quite prevalent. In mid to late 19th century Tucson, Arizona, most Tucson residents accepted prostitution as an ever-present, if not an integral, part of frontier life; however, critics did exist and attempted to outlaw, limit, or regulate prositution. Historical and archaeological records can be used to explore the complex social interactions that surround prositution and the spread and control of sexually transmitted diseases in the Tucson frontier landscape.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• POSTER Session 1: A Focus on Cultures, Populations, and Ethnic Groups   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2019

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 319