[Just another Joe]

So, is there any evidence of the disease in the "New World" before the Columbus voyage?

And since Columbus wasn't the first to set foot on the land, why wasn't the disease brought back by others? Chance? WSas it only the Columbus crew that had a sexual encounter with a disease bearer?

[djf]

There are half a dozen or so other diseases in the Caribbean that are almost identical, just not sexually transmitted. Yaws, pinta, others...

[Venturer]

Maybe with each other, a precursor to Aids.

[dog breath]

I was an anthropology major in college, I do remember an article about evidence of syphilis in pre-Columbian bones in Guyana or there abouts, I believe dating back many centuries before contact. It has been a long time since I was young they may of found different evidence since then.

[AnalogReigns]

“...why wasn’t the disease brought back by others? Chance? WSas it only the Columbus crew that had a sexual encounter with a disease bearer?”

The European predecessors to Columbus were so small in number....far north...and out of touch with mainland Europe (I’m thinking the Vikings under Leif Ericson...or St. Brendan before them) that they weren’t a factor. Columbus opened the door to all of mainstream Europe, through the major monarchs there, to interact with the Americas—unlike any that came before.

Given that the Icelanders (Leif Ericson) immediately established tiny colonies of families on Newfoundland...it’s possible too, with their wives there...that the men didn’t have sex with the Indian women...or if they did, the northern tribes didn’t have the STD’s of the Caribbean.

I don’t see why its such a touchy subject...STD’s are just a disease—and different diseases originate different places. The fact that new FLU strains almost always comes out of China today...doesn’t say the Chinese are any worse (or better) people than anyone else.

Differences in settlement patterns too. The Spanish and Portuguese, due to the perceived danger in the New World, refused to send women over (unlike the Vikings)...to establish regular colonies—this is why very (very) early Spanish and Portuguese mixed, sexually with the Indians—as they had no women with them.

Human nature...oh well.