Jesse Casana, professor and chair of the department of anthropology “
Share May 03, 2021 by Amy Olson
An analysis of fecal samples shows New England rural elites had parasitic infections.
In June 2019, the Digging Dartmouth project is set up on the lawn outside Dartmouth Library s Baker-Berry Library and the former site of the Ripley/Choate House. (Photo by Eli Burakian 00)
Jesse Casana, professor and chair of the department of anthropology (on the left); Keira Byno 19; and Elise Laugier, a graduate student student in Ecology, Evolution, Environment and Society (standing in the privy); work on excavating the privy once attached to the Ripley/Choate House. (Photo by Eli Burakian 00)
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IMAGE: Hazard & Caswell bottles from an apothecary in Newport, R.I., that contained a medicinal concoction marketed as a cure for digestive and other ailments. view more
Credit: Photo by Austin Chad Hill.
In the early 19th century in North America, parasitic infections were quite common in urban areas due in part to population growth and urbanization. Prior research has found that poor sanitation, unsanitary privy (outhouse) conditions, and increased contact with domestic animals, contributed to the prevalence of parasitic disease in urban areas. A new study examining fecal samples from a privy on Dartmouth s campus illustrates how rural wealthy elites in New England also had intestinal parasitic infections. The findings are published in the