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December 28th, 2011 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda WEDNESDAY, Dec. 28 (HealthDay News) — A new examination of the
origin of syphilis supports the theory that the sexually transmitted
disease was carried to Europe aboard Christopher Columbus‘ ships as they
sailed home from the New World.
The disease was not spread through sexual contact at the time, but
adapted to survive once it got to Europe, Emory University researchers
say.
“Syphilis has been around for 500 years,” study co-leader Molly
Zuckerman, a former Emory graduate student who is now an assistant
professor at Mississippi State University, said in an Emory news release.
“People started debating where it came from shortly afterwards, and they
haven’t stopped since. It was one of the first global diseases, and
understanding where it came from and how it spread may help us combat
diseases today.”
After analyzing skeletal evidence in 54 published reports, the
researchers found that syphilis did not exist in Europe until after
Columbus’ historic voyage to the New World in 1492. They said that most of
the skeletal material lacked characteristics that would meet standard
diagnostic criteria for chronic syphilis, such as small holes on the skull
and long bones.
It appears that skeletons previously considered evidence of syphilis in
Europe before Columbus’ trip were dated incorrectly because of seafood
consumption, which would have altered the collagen levels of the
skeletons, the researchers said.
Their appraisal is published in the Yearbook of Physical
Anthropology.
“This is the first time that all 54 of these cases have been evaluated
systematically,” said study co-author George Armelagos, an anthropologist
at Emory, in the news release. “The evidence keeps accumulating that a
progenitor of syphilis came from the New World with Columbus’ crew and
rapidly evolved into the venereal disease that remains with us today.”
The researchers suggested someone sailing with Columbus brought
Treponema — the bacteria that causes syphilis — to Europe. This
type of bacteria also causes other diseases that are spread through
skin-to-skin or oral contact in tropical climates. Their theory is that
the bacteria mutated into the sexually transmitted form to survive in the
cooler and more sanitary conditions of Europe.
“In reality, it appears that venereal syphilis was the byproduct of two
different populations meeting and exchanging a pathogen,” Zuckerman said.
“It was an adaptive event, the natural selection of a disease, independent
of morality or blame.”
The researchers said more study is needed to confirm their findings.
“The origin of syphilis is a fascinating, compelling question,” Zuckerman
said. “The current evidence is pretty definitive, but we shouldn’t close
the book and say we’re done with the subject. The great thing about
science is constantly being able to understand things in a new light.”
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides more
information on syphilis.
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