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. 2025 Jan 31;65(4):E580-E585.
doi: 10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2024.65.4.3376. eCollection 2024 Dec.

Tetanus: historical and palaeopathological aspects considering its current health impact

Francesco Maria Galassi  1 , Raffaella Bianucci  2 , Simon T Donell  3 , Valentina Vittori  4 , Andreas Nerlich  5 , Mariano Martini  6 , Elena Varotto  4   7
Affiliations

Tetanus: historical and palaeopathological aspects considering its current health impact

Francesco Maria Galassi et al. J Prev Med Hyg. .

Abstract

The present article summarises the historical and palaeopathological evidence of tetanus, an ineradicable yet vaccine-preventable infectious disease caused by Clostridium tetani. The antiquity of the disease is described thanks to historical written sources, artistic references and very recent palaeogenetic data. A recollection of now long-supplanted therapies is offered together with a focus on the introduction of an effective vaccine. Moreover, a potential identification of tetanus in the Bible is analysed and general considerations on the current health relevance of tetanus are presented.

Keywords: Clostridium tetani; History of medicine; Infectious diseases; Palaeopathology; Tetanus; Toxin; Vaccination.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
The image depicts a case of tetanic opisthotonos, a condition characterised by a fully arched spinal column, forming a bridge-like conformation. This is caused by a significant contraction of the dorsal muscles, with the extensor muscles of the spine being more prominent than the flexor muscles - 1809, painting by British physician Sir Charles Bell (1774-1842) (Wikipedia Commons – Public Domain).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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