Medieval residents suffered from chronic lead poisoning
Medieval residents of the city and the wealthier population were suffering from chronic lead poisoning. They drank and ate from comfortable pottery, lead from the glaze which made it into the body in large quantities.
This is evidenced by a chemical test of 207 skeletons from 6 cemeteries in Denmark and Northern Germany. A new study presented in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.
Citizens in the Middle ages could afford to eat and drink from oblivnye (glazed) pottery - its easier to wash, and it's much prettier than ordinary ceramics. But the glaze contain a higher concentration of lead oxide, which in contact with salty and acidic foods fell into it.
In the bones of the medieval inhabitants of the city the concentration of lead was significantly above normal. Lead into the body not only from dishes but also out of coins, stained glass Windows and tile (then drinking water is often collected from roofs). In the villages of the same almost did not use oblivnye utensils, and the lead was not used in the construction of roofs, say scientists.
Besides all this, in the bones of the inhabitants of the urban medieval Denmark and Germany found more mercury than peasant - this metal was used extensively to treat leprosy, traces of which are found in almost 50 percent of the surveyed skeletons.
Chronic lead poisoning affects the digestive and Central nervous system of the planet. Among his signs - memory loss, depression, nausea, abdominal pain, headaches, speech disorders and anemia. Lead is particularly damaging effect on children's health: leads to dementia, distraction, increased aggressiveness.
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