Gout was about two to three percent of the population in Cambridge. But in the Augustinian friars, it was 14%. And you were also looking at the parasites as well. So we found the eggs of roundworm and whitworm that are spread by feces getting onto your food and drink.
Crushed by a cart, infected with parasitic worms and painful bunions caused by pointy shoes. These might sound like curses you’d wish on your worst enemy, but a group of researchers have discovered they were probably a part of normal life in medieval Cambridge. Across several archaeological sites, the team have excavated and analysed hundreds of bones to uncover the accidents and afflictions of people in the middle ages. In this Halloween special, Madeleine Finlay hears from Nicola Davis as she takes a trip to Cambridge to investigate what old skeletons can reveal about the lives of those in centuries gone by. Help support our independent journalism at
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