In medieval Europe, parasitic worms were common among the populace. Roundworms and whipworms spread widely due to people living in close quarters with poor sanitation. Evidence comes in the form of parasite eggs found in latrines and cesspits that were abandoned hundreds of years ago. But to see how living conditions effected the rate of parasites, scientists wanted to compare poor city dwellers with another population- that of cloistered monks who lived a much healthier life set apart in monasteries, with more advanced latrines. It has only been recently that individuals buried in cemeteries could be examined for intestinal parasite infection at the time of their deaths. A comparison of 19 Augustinian friars, identified by the belt buckles they wore to be buried, and 24 individuals from the general populace buried at Cambridge showed that, contrary to expectations, the monks were more likely to be infected! Only 32% of the general population had worms at the time of their death, while 58% of the friars did.
What was it about the friars' lifestyle that caused them to have worms? The scientists from the University of Cambridge who carried out the comparison have an idea, which you can read at the Conversation.
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