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Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 10:06:12 -0230 (NDT)
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To: classics@u.washington.edu
From: James Butrica <jbutrica@morgan.ucs.mun.ca>
Subject: Re: were Romans infectious?

>I confess to listening to Prairie Home Companion this evening, in part, and
>heard Randy Newman performing his song "The Great Nations of Europe," a
>satire on the various European countries coming through and spreading
>diseases and killing natives (small pox and such, of course).
>
>And it made me wonder, did the Romans carry any diseases that we know of to
>the far reaches of the empire?  Just curious.
>
>ginny
>=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
>Ginny Lindzey, Editor
>Texas Classical Association
>CAMWS State VP
>TCA, AP Latin, Greek Too: www.txclassics.org
>NCLG: www.promotelatin.org
>Lindsey Davis: www.lindseydavis.co.uk

I believe that there is a passage relevant to your question at the
beginning of one of the books of Pliny's Natural History, but the volume is
at home right now; I'll try to remember to look it up later. As I recall,
the passage also refers to how the practice of social kissing had caused a
newly introduced disease to spread quickly among the =E9lite.

James Lawrence Peter Butrica
Department of Classics
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's, Newfoundland  A1C 5S7
(709) 737-7914


.