02429nas a2200469   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001000055653002700065653001600092653001900108653001500127653001100142653002600153653002600179653002600205653002600231653002600257653002200283653001100305653000900316653002200325653001200347653001600359653001900375653001100394653001300405100001100418700001700429700001400446700001200460700001200472700001400484700001800498700001200516700001200528245011500540300001100655490000700666520127200673022001401945       2012                            d  c2012 Jul10aAdult10aAnthropology, Physical10aArchaeology10aBone and Bones10aCemeteries10aFemale10aHistory, 15th Century10aHistory, 16th Century10aHistory, 17th Century10aHistory, 18th Century10aHistory, 19th Century10aHistory, Medieval10aHumans10aMale10aMass Spectrometry10aMercury10aMiddle Aged10aPilot Projects10aPoland10aSyphilis1 aKepa M1 aKozłowski T1 aSzostek K1 aDrozd A1 aWalas S1 aMrowiec H1 aStepańczak B1 aGłab H1 aGrupa M00aAnalysis of mercury levels in historical bone material from syphilitic subjects--pilot studies (short report).  a367-770 v693 a<p>The aim of the present work is to study the remains of seven individuals with typical symptoms of tertiary syphilis in terms of mercury content in bones, thereby verifying whether they were subjected to treatment and, if they were, how long their organisms were exposed to toxic mercury fumes. Mercury was used, mainly in the Middle Ages and in the early modern period, as a preventive measure in case of individuals suffering from syphilis, a venereal disease, and also leprosy. Syphilitic patients treated this way should demonstrate increased concentration of mercury in their bones. The skeletons studied in the present work originate from various archaeological sites in southern and north-central Poland. The analyses concerned individuals with diagnosed syphilis as well as healthy individuals who constituted the control group. The analyses were performed by the LA-ICP-MS technique, with the use of laser Nd: YAG, Macro, 266 nm, New Wave, USA, coupled with Spectrometer Elan DRC-e Perkin Elmer, USA. The content analysis of the studied bone material revealed with high probability that the contact method of mercurial treatment was used only in the case of two women from north-central Poland, deceased at the turn of the 15th century at the earliest.</p>  a0003-5548