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A germ's journey to isolated islands
Author(s) -
Trembly Diane L.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
international journal of osteoarchaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1099-1212
pISSN - 1047-482X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1212(199711/12)7:6<621::aid-oa399>3.0.co;2-a
Subject(s) - germ , germ theory of disease , biology , history , geography , evolutionary biology , microbiology and biotechnology
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 Pacific 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. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.