The origin of syphilis is perhaps the most debated area of the
study of ancient disease. Has it an Old or New World origin? The
idea that Christopher Columbus and his crew brought venereal
syphili back from the Americas to the Old World in 1493 AD after
voyaging there developed as an explanation for the rise in
venereal syphilis documented in historical sources. It was
apparently of near-epidemic status around 1500. There is a
suggestion that this could not have developed into epidemic
proportions in such a short time. An alternative explanation is
that Columbus brought back a more virulent