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Research
Paleopathologist joins 大象传媒 to advance research in ancient disease
Casey Kirkpatrick, a biological anthropologist and bioarchaeologist specializing in paleopathology, joins 大象传媒鈥檚 Faculty of Environment this January as an assistant professor in the Department of Archaeology.
Specifically, her research explores the interaction between past populations and diseases, like cancers and treponemal diseases like syphilis, which can contribute to a better understanding of disease risks.
鈥淒isease is a global human experience and has had great impacts, not only on the lives of individuals, but also on human history,鈥� says Kirkpatrick.
Kirkpatrick explains that understanding how people have co-evolved with pathogens in the past, and how people have impacted past disease patterns can lead to a better understanding of what contributed to their prevalence, and how future disease risk can be reduced.
鈥淭he archaeological record can tell us so much about past populations and we can learn so much more about the lived experiences of past peoples through the study of human remains and their archaeological contexts,鈥� says Kirkpatrick. 鈥淎s we learn more about past peoples, we learn more about ourselves, and I think that is a beautiful thing. I aim to honor the lives of those that I study while collecting information on the past that might help our collective future.鈥�
One of Kirkpatrick鈥檚 studies, recently published in contributed to resolving the long-time debate on the origins of syphilis, following a devastating outbreak in 15th century Europe, where many countries placed blame upon one another. More recently, the coincidental timing of Columbus鈥檚 return from the Americas has been called into question.
鈥淚n recent decades paleopathologists, historians and medical professionals have passionately revived this debate and for some time it was uncertain if ancient DNA could be recovered for the pathogen responsible for syphilis due to issues of preservation,鈥� says Kirkpatrick. 鈥淲ith the help of advanced technologies, we successfully recovered ancient DNA for ancestors of several members of the treponemal family of bacteria (specifically syphilis, yaws, and bejel) from pre-colonial individuals in the Americas.鈥�
She says that these findings demonstrate that, 鈥渆arly forms of syphilis, yaws and bejel originated in the Americas but were transported to Afroeurasia by colonizers at a time when many deadly diseases were likewise transported to the Americas.鈥�
Much of Kirkpatrick's work involves studying skeletal remains around the world.
鈥淭his research is done in an ethical, dignified, and respectful manner, and I feel privileged to be able to interact directly with ancient individuals. All research is also done with permission from the relevant government and/or authority and, where possible, with permission from descendants,鈥� she says.
Kirkpatrick and her team will now tackle the "Preserving Theban Archaeological Heritage (PTAH) Project," which involves investigating a tomb in the Valley of the Nobles in Egypt's famed Theban Necropolis. The tomb dates back to the Late Ramesside Period 鈥� largely considered to be the start of the Pharaonic empire鈥檚 downfall.
鈥淢y team and I will excavate, document, conserve and study the tomb and its contents, including the human remains, to identify factors that may have contributed to this decline and determine how living conditions changed over time,鈥� explains Kirkpatrick. 鈥淚n particular, we will be looking for physiological evidence of disease as well as climatic, demographic, economic, political, religious and social changes.鈥�
Kirkpatrick brings a unique set of skills to 大象传媒 Archaeology and hopes that this will provide new and interesting learning opportunities for students.
鈥湸笙蟠解�檚 Department of Archaeology is very well-respected globally, and some excellent scholars have graduated from its programs. I am very excited to work alongside, and collaborate with, respected leaders in the field of archaeology while guiding and inspiring students through their educational journey,鈥� she says.