Emerg Infect Dis

Researchers from the Division of Paleopathology of Pisa University (Pisa, Italy) exhumed the well-preserved skeleton of Maria Salviati (1499\u20131543), wife of Giovanni de\u2019 Medici, named \u201cGiovanni of the Black Bands,\u201d in Florence in 2012. Many lytic lesions had affected the skull of Maria on the frontal bone and on the parietal bones. These lesions are pathognomonic for syphilis. An ancient diagnosis of syphilis for Maria Salviati does not emerge from the historical sources, although the symptoms manifested in her last years of life are compatible with a colorectal localization, including severe hemorrhages, caused by syphilitic infection. The case of Maria Salviati can be compared with those of other famous Italian noblewomen of the Renaissance, such as Isabella of Aragon (1470\u20131524) and Maria of Aragon (1503\u20131568). Paleopathology made it possible to directly observe a \u201csecret illness\u201d to which noblewomen were susceptible as a result of the sexual conduct of their husbands.PMC7258490778