The Science Behind Pre-Columbian Evidence of Syphilis in Europe: Research by Documentary

This article discusses the presentation of scientific findings by documentary, without the process of peer review. We use, as an example, PBS's “The Syphilis Enigma,” in which researchers presented novel evidence concerning the origin of syphilis that had never been reviewed by other scientists...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Evolutionary anthropology Vol. 21; no. 2; pp. 50 - 57
Main Authors:	Armelagos, George J., Zuckerman, Molly K., Harper, Kristin N.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01-03-2012 Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
Subjects:	Anthropology, Medical - methods Anthropology, Medical - standards Documentary research Europe History, Medieval Humans Motion Pictures - standards Paleopathology Peer Review Press conferences Research Design - standards Science Scientific research Scientists Syphilis - history Treponema pallidum - isolation & purification
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	This article discusses the presentation of scientific findings by documentary, without the process of peer review. We use, as an example, PBS's “The Syphilis Enigma,” in which researchers presented novel evidence concerning the origin of syphilis that had never been reviewed by other scientists. These “findings” then entered the world of peer‐reviewed literature through citations of the documentary itself or material associated with it. Here, we demonstrate that the case for pre‐Columbian syphilis in Europe that was made in the documentary does not withstand scientific scrutiny. We also situate this example from paleopathology within a larger trend of “science by documentary” or “science by press conference,” in which researchers seek to bypass the peer review process by presenting unvetted findings directly to the public. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Bibliography:	ark:/67375/WNG-1RB2J9MH-L ArticleID:EVAN20340 istex:38D8BFE8614CF7803A4E0ED43A2FA6E42C283208 Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures at Mississippi State University. Her research centers on the biosocial determinants of health inequalities among past populations, with a particular focus on social identity and gender, and on the evolution of infectious disease, with a focus on syphilis. She is associated with ongoing bioarcheological research projects in the UK, Mongolia, and St. Croix. Department of Environmental Sciences at Columbia University. Her research centers on the genetic and epigenetic pathways that lead from common environmental exposures to disease. Currently, she is investigating several possible mechanisms underlying the development of arsenic‐induced cancer in Bangladesh. Anthropology at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. His research has focused on diet and disease in prehistory. He was the Viking Medal Medalist (Wenner‐Gren Foundation) in 2005, received The Franz Boas Award for Exemplary Service to Anthropology from the American Anthropological Association in 2008, and The Charles Darwin Award for Lifetime Achievement to Biological Anthropology from the American Association of Physical Anthropologists in 2009. ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-2 ObjectType-Feature-1
ISSN:	1060-1538 1520-6505
DOI:	10.1002/evan.20340