Diarrheal disease and intestinal parasites in colonial Canada: Integrating history and bioarchaeology to study sanitation, infrastructure, and public Health

Characterized as a “foggy, desolate, deathtrap” the 18th c. Fortress of Louisbourg was a significant, yet treacherous colony in New France especially for unseen pathogens. Gastrointestinal illnesses have been present throughout history. Despite Louisbourg’s successes in New France, overcrowding, poor sanitation, and limited healthcare certainly contributed to diarrheal disease and widespread parasitic infections. The objectives of Amy and Marissa’s project are to explore gastrointestinal illness through an interdisciplinary approach to better understand 18th c. healthcare in Atlantic Canada. Specifically, using archaeological fecal samples from latrines and pelvic soil collected from individual burials, intestinal parasite infections will be explored. Integrating this with historical information related to public health measures and skeletal profiles of health and disease will be the first of its kind in Canada. By better understanding the pathogens and their impacts, we will be better positioned to explore the health outcomes of this 18th c. community.