Wasn't there an excavation of an old Monastry graveyard in the Old Town and most of it's occupants was found to have syphilis? Think it's where the new (ish) Magistrates Courts are in Market Place.
<< Think about it. Yes it was. I can't remember much more of the evidence though. I think it was the earliest incidence of the disease ever found, which they say means the others must have originated from here.
No cure from the clap in them days either. Soon as you showed signs of the symptoms you must have thought 'well, I'm a gonna' ere'.
There used to be a VD clinic down West Street at the back of the Prospect Centre............allegedly!
Remember seeing the notices in public loos saying the Landsdowne Clinic and before that it was down Mill Street or so i've been told
Ahhhhhhh you're that Rovertiger, I thought the name rang a bell. How are you? Did it all clear up? ..............
When I was in the Army I was told that Betws-y-Coed had the highest rate per capita of syphilis in the UK. This played on my mind a bit, I was young and naive at the time. So when on excercise in the area, we went into the village for a pint, I avoided trying it on with the local girls. But then I got pissed. Asking the barmaid if she had ever had a dose, didn't go down too well.
That must have been disappointing. Coming from a place with that reputation, you'd expect her to go down better than that.
there may have been a small number of slaves coming through hull, but there are obvious reasons why it was nothing like the scale of the trade in places like bristol, london and liverpool. when ships were carrying slaves many died in the bad conditions on board and it made no sense to sail halfway round the country to hull when ports such as liverpool, london, bristol, plymouth, exeter were nearer to where the ships were coming from and more slaves would be in better condition for selling. under the 1799 slave trade act, the trade was restricted to liverpool, london, and bristol. those three accounted for 90% of the british slave trade and grew wealthy from it. there might have otherwise been more black people in hull. i have a friend who can trace her ancestry back to liverpool and suspects her very tightly curly hair and slightly brown skin could mean she is descended from a slave.
Hadn't heard about all this syphilis business but on the other side of the health coin, my Dad told me that it was in Hull that cod liver oil was discovered as a cure for rickets. Makes sense. Anyone know anything about that?
wasnt the syphilis theory poo pooed (always wanted to say that) - something to do with the skeletal remains found contaminated by the diet thet ate ?!?!
