The myth of syphilis

"Exploring the long standing question of the origins of syphilis, this book proposes a new understanding of the dynamic interactions of disease and culture in the New World. It brings together a complete picture of the diverse pathological evidence of treponematosis, a bacterial disease manifest in the North American archaeological record at the time of Christopher Columbus's first journey, presenting a strong argument against the earlier identification of modern venereal syphilis with indigenous North American treponemal disease."--Jacket.