To think about the amount of knowledge or the grand living lifestyle of Medieval monks possessed, one would imagine that they adopted a hygienic way of living too. But researchers believe it not to be true as research samples indicate that 'the friars of medieval Cambridge appear to have been riddled with parasites.'
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Reprtoedly, the medieval monks of Cmabridge were horribly riddled with intestinal worms than the average townsperson.
This comes as pretty surprising considering the fact that the members of a friary were some of the lucky few in medieval society who had access to half-decent toilets and hand-washing facilities.
Image credit: Cambridge Archaeological Unit
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Archaeologists at the University of Cambridge in the UK recently took samples of soil from around the pelvis of 19 monks buried on the former grounds of the Augustinian friary in the city and 25 “average Joes” who were laid to rest at the All Saints cemetery.
Using microscope imaging to spot parasite eggs, they found evidence that 11 of the friars (58 percent) were infected by parasitic worms, compared with just eight of the townspeople (32 percent). Their findings are published in the International Journal of Paleopathology.
“The friars of medieval Cambridge appear to have been riddled with parasites,” Dr Piers Mitchell, study lead author from Cambridge’s Department of Archaeology, said in a statement.
Image credit: Cambridge Archaeological Unit
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“Roundworm was the most common infection, but we found evidence for whipworm infection as well. These are both spread by poor sanitation,” added Cambridge researcher Tianyi Wang.
Medieval culture is actually famous for its not-so-exceptional levels of hygiene and this fact would ring true for the majority of its population.
Most people would not have had running water in their households and would simply “do their business” into a cesspit toilet that didn’t drain away waste. Given that parasitic worms are spread by poop, this unsavory toilet situation would seriously up your chances of becoming infected.
Image credit: Cambridge Archaeological Unit
Monasteries however lived a luxurious life. The majority of these grand properties had running water systems that helped rinse out the latrine, giving them a definite edge when it came to cleanliness.
So, were the Augustinian friars of Cambridge a particularly unhygienic bunch with an aversion to hand washing? The researchers aren’t totally sure, but they speculate that it might have something to do with their vegetable patch habits.
Friars were known for growing vegetables on their land and according to the researchers, they might have been fertilizing the crops with human faces (perhaps their own) or pig poop.
“One possibility is that the friars manured their vegetable gardens with human faeces, not unusual in the medieval period, and this may have led to repeated infection with the worms,” explained Mitchell.
In fact, as a matter of fact, these people were not exactly living in ignorance and many sources reveal that they were well aware of what roundworm and whipworm were.
Medical texts found in Cambridge from around the 14th century have whole chapters on worms and later texts written by Franciscan monks suggested certain remedies to ease the infection.
Though it seems like what they didn't get was the memo to keep their poop away from their dinner.
Image credit: Cambridge Archaeological Unit