Scientists Say King Richard III Had a Roundworm Infection
- 11 years ago
A new examination of soil samples seems to prove that King Richard III suffered from a roundworm infection.
A recent evaluation of soil samples seems to prove that Richard III suffered from a roundworm infection\.
The former king who ruled England from 1483-85, died at 32 years of age. His body was discovered last year by archeologists from the University of Leicester.
Since then, scientists have been working hard, analyzing the former king’s remains. Using a powerful microscope, the researchers extracted and looked through soil samples from Richard III’s pelvis and skull along with the dirt surrounding the grave.
A scientist at Cambridge University stated “What we found was plenty of roundworm eggs in the sacral soil, where his intestines would have been.”
In layman’s terms, the finding suggests the parasite was living in the king’s intestines. Once roundworms infect humans due to contaminated food or water, the eggs hatch into larvae which move to the lungs where they mature.
Eventually they crawl up to the throat to be swallowed back to the intestines where they can grow up to one foot long. In total, the researchers located 15 roundworm eggs in the soil samples taken from the king’s pelvis.
A recent evaluation of soil samples seems to prove that Richard III suffered from a roundworm infection\.
The former king who ruled England from 1483-85, died at 32 years of age. His body was discovered last year by archeologists from the University of Leicester.
Since then, scientists have been working hard, analyzing the former king’s remains. Using a powerful microscope, the researchers extracted and looked through soil samples from Richard III’s pelvis and skull along with the dirt surrounding the grave.
A scientist at Cambridge University stated “What we found was plenty of roundworm eggs in the sacral soil, where his intestines would have been.”
In layman’s terms, the finding suggests the parasite was living in the king’s intestines. Once roundworms infect humans due to contaminated food or water, the eggs hatch into larvae which move to the lungs where they mature.
Eventually they crawl up to the throat to be swallowed back to the intestines where they can grow up to one foot long. In total, the researchers located 15 roundworm eggs in the soil samples taken from the king’s pelvis.