The victims of invisible battles, Contagious and other diseases in the past

 Contagious diseases have been there since the dawn of the history of humankind. Despite our long shared history, their traces are difficult to identify on human remains, mostly because only a few cause lesions on the bones, and even those only after a long-lasting illness. Some contagious diseases cause similar lesions and cannot be identified unambiguously based only on them; for example, many cause so-called non-specific osteological symptoms like the inflammation of the periosteum and the bone marrow (Kecskemét–Mercedes Garve 3038).
Some osteological lesions are the secondary symptoms of a chronic condition. The hypoplastic lines on the tooth enamel and the cribra orbita, when the surface of the bone at the upper part of the eye sockets becomes porous, are evidence of childhood illness (Kecskemét–Galambos Grave 650, Kecskemét–Mercedes Grave 3061).
Some pathogens, however, leave traces based on which they can be identified. A 45–50-year-old woman suffered from acute and extensive inflammation of the area of the nasal cavity. The edge of the nasal bone started to resorb, and the anterior nasal spine disappeared almost completely; besides, the metacarpal bones and taluses of both feet display traces of extensive inflammation of the periosteum. The inflammation reached the shinbones and the fibulae, causing severe symptoms. Based on these symptoms, the woman likely suffered from leprosy (Szentkirály Grave 2).
Tuberculosis attacks the lungs in the first place, but when the infection lasts long, it may reach the bones through the vascular and lymphatic systems, causing characteristic symptoms.
Lesions caused by severe inflammation were observed on some vertebrae of a 25–29-year-old woman at Kecskemét (Kecskemét–Mercedes Grave 3147). The foci of inflammation were inside the bodies of the vertebrae, where the pus absorbed the bone. A 30–35-year-old woman from the cemetery at Hajós suffered from similarly severe symptoms, localised in the lumbar section of her spine. Most of the anterior surface of her first lumbar vertebra was dissolved by inflammation, leaving the inflammatory cavities inside the body of the vertebra exposed. The body of the fifth lumbar vertebra became crushed, collapsing into the base of the sacrum. These symptoms indicate Pott’s disease (spinal tuberculosis); however, confirming it would require further molecular analyses.