A germ's journey to isolated islands

✍ Scribed by Diane L. Trembly

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 66 KB
• Volume: 7
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1047-482X
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-1212(199711/12)7:6<621::aid-oa399>3.0.co;2-a

✦ Synopsis

The presence of skeletal tuberculosis in Hawaiian populations prior to Euro-American contact (i.e. before Captain Cook) raises the question: `From where did it come?' Three hypotheses are explored: the Polynesians brought it with them in their migrations across the Paci®c from Asia; it was acquired through contact with American Indians during prehistoric times; some nameless sixteenth or seventeenth century tuberculous Spanish sailor was shipwrecked on a Hawaiian island. These three hypotheses are explored through linguistic, archaeological and botanical evidence.