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A Colony without a Cough? A Bioarchaeological Exploration of Tuberculosis at the Eighteenth-Century Fortress of Louisbourg, Canada

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Abstract

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, tuberculosis was a common infectious disease that ravaged the urban centers of Europe. While historical records and skeletal evidence speak to the European experience of tuberculosis at this time, there are limited data regarding how this virulent disease affected the European colonies of North America. Focusing on the 18th-century Fortress of Louisbourg in Atlantic Canada, this study provides an opportunity to incorporate historical records related to tuberculosis with skeletal analysis at an expansive New France colony. Interestingly, there was no evidence of tuberculosis on any of the skeletal remains analyzed, despite historical evidence suggesting its presence in the population and ideal living and social conditions to support its transmission and spread. This absence of skeletal evidence may be the result of various factors, including death before skeletal manifestation, the use of multiple cemeteries, or the removal of the infirm from the Louisbourg population.

Resumen

A lo largo de los siglos XVIII y XIX, la tuberculosis fue una enfermedad infecciosa común que asoló los centros urbanos de Europa. Si bien los registros históricos y la evidencia esquelética hablan de la experiencia europea de la tuberculosis en esos tiempos, hay datos limitados sobre cómo esta virulenta enfermedad afectó a las colonias europeas de América del Norte. Centrándose en la Fortaleza de Luisburgo del siglo XVIII en el Atlántico canadiense, este estudio brinda la oportunidad de incorporar registros históricos relacionados con la tuberculosis con análisis esqueléticos en una colonia expansiva de la Nueva Francia. Curiosamente, no hubo evidencia de tuberculosis en ninguno de los restos óseos analizados, a pesar de la evidencia histórica que sugiere su presencia en la población y las condiciones sociales y de vida idóneas para apoyar su transmisión y propagación. Esta ausencia de evidencia esquelética puede ser el resultado de varios factores, incluida la muerte antes de la manifestación esquelética, el uso de múltiples cementerios o la eliminación de los enfermos de la población de Luisburgo.

Résumé

Tout au long des 18ème et 19ème siècles, la tuberculose était une maladie infectieuse courante qui a ravagé les centres urbains d'Europe. Si les archives historiques et les indices squelettiques parlent de l'expérience européenne de la tuberculose à cette époque, les données sont limitées sur la manière dont cette maladie virulente a affecté les colonies européennes d'Amérique du Nord. Cette étude qui s'intéresse à la Forteresse de Louisbourg du 18ème siècle dans le Canada atlantique, donne la possibilité d'incorporer des archives historiques relatives à la tuberculose à une analyse squelettique d'une vaste colonie de la Nouvelle France. Il est intéressant de relever que sur aucun des restes squelettiques analysés il n’a été trouvé de traces de tuberculose, en dépit de preuves historiques suggérant sa présence au sein de la population et de conditions d’existence et sociales idéales pour favoriser sa transmission et sa prolifération. Cette absence d'indices squelettiques peut être le résultat de différents facteurs, notamment le décès avant la manifestation squelettique, l'utilisation de cimetières multiples ou le retrait de l'infirme de la population de Louisbourg.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Parks Canada, specifically Blair Pardy, David Ebert, and Maura McKeough, for excavation and research support, as well as the UNB Bioarchaeology Field School staff and students. We would also like thank the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish and the Anglican Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island for permission to access and study these remains. Funding for this project is through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (PDG No. 890–2017–0049).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, University of New Brunswick, 13 MacAulay Lane, Fredericton, NB, E3B 5Y2, Canada

    Amy B. Scott, Nicole Hughes & Marisa N. S. Forbes

  2. Department of Anthropology, SUNY Oneonta, 108 Ravine Parkway, 138 Physical Sciences, Oneonta, NY, 13820, U.S.A.

    Tracy K. Betsinger

  3. Parks Canada, Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, 259 Park Service Road, Louisbourg, NS, B1C 2L2, Canada

    Sarah MacInnes

  4. University of New Brunswick, Harriet Irving Library, 5 MacAulay Lane, Fredericton, NB, E3B 5H5, Canada

    Mattia Fonzo

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Scott, A.B., Betsinger, T.K., MacInnes, S. et al. A Colony without a Cough? A Bioarchaeological Exploration of Tuberculosis at the Eighteenth-Century Fortress of Louisbourg, Canada. Hist Arch 57, 315–335 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-023-00397-0

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