A Not-So-Secret Affair: A Case Study of Treponemal Infection from the Bethel Cemetery

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Bethel Cemetery Relocation Project: Historical, Osteological, and Material Culture Analyses of a Nineteenth-Century Indiana Cemetery" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

When records and textual evidence from the past are subjective, piecemeal, or absent, bioarchaeological analyses can be indispensable for elucidating otherwise buried histories. The case study of Burial 505 from the Bethel Cemetery highlights an individual that displays characteristic osteological features of tertiary-stage venereal syphilis. When combined with archival and genealogical research, this probable case of treponemal infection offers a unique lens for interpreting life on the midwestern frontier during the mid-nineteenth century. Osteological evidence combined with contextual clues reveal the story of a young woman and mother who, despite tragic circumstances, was advocated for and afforded treatment in death equivalent to others in her community. Given the archaeological context, Burial 505’s pathological condition speaks to the historically variable nature of how disease and disability have been recognized, treated, and perceived cross-culturally.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)   •
• The Bethel Cemetery Relocation Project: Historical, Osteological, and Material Culture Analyses of a Nineteenth-Century Indiana Cemetery

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37368.0