Medieval Dead

Illness and disease was a fact of life in medieval times. Hygiene and sanitation was practically non-existent, living conditions for rich and poor alike were generally dreadful. Life expectancy was short and an end hastened by some terrible infection or sickness was almost inevitable. Which begs the questions: how did medieval society deal with illness and cope with disease? A single woman’s found in Dixon’s Lane in York is going to help Malin Holst find some answers. It had been thought that the unfortunate lady had died of Leprosy – after all, there were four leprosy hospitals in York – but Malin’s detailed forensic study of the woman’s DNA reveals that Tuberculosis may have been involved too. It’s a common misconception that Leprosy is contagious, but those in contact with our Dixon’s Lane lady may have been in danger from a far more virulent disease. And this is without the traces of syphilis that Malin also finds in DNA of the skeleton. This episode will retell the story of the Dixon’s Lane Lady and provide the viewer with a fascinating snapshot of a time when life was cheap and sometimes very unpleasant indeed.