Medieval DNA suggests Columbus didn’t trigger syphilis epidemic in Europe

The diversity argument is stronger. Even if you argue that the skeletons post-date Columbus, now you also need to argue that it wasn't just one case that came back but several (or that the understanding of its mutation clock & strains are wrong).

Reminds me of the way the US administration likes to use the term "China virus". Nothing ever changes.

Its possibly also why mercury is still used in dental fillings white porcelain as well as the more commonly known amalgam fillings. In the US, men used to dip their fingers in lemon juice before insertion into an orifice as the lemon juice could make sores painful. An outbreak in Venice forced the Catholic church to commission some white marble statues and paintings for the public to aspire to, like Michelangelo and Da Vinci during the Renaissance. Bella Donna eye drops were commonly used in the US during the 1930's great depression to dilate their pupils making them look more attractive, but this could also have been to hide Argyll Robertson pupil, pupils that dont dilate due to being a good indicator of neurosyphilis. Sidenote. In medieval times, when testing out couriers for trustworthiness, Bella Donna was mixed into wax seals, the courier would be required to deliver said sealed parchment to a destination where travel time was known and usually to a dark location where the recipient would hold a lantern up to the couriers eyes to see if they constricted or not. If the courier had copied and forged the seal before melting the wax, the bella donna vapours would be inhaled when melting the wax, so it was a secret test or initiation. Secret societys still employ the old ways and the security services also have many tricks up their sleeves as well which have learnt over the years.

I mean, we have also left the Mayan pyramids standing despite being monuments to sacrificial human murder. Nobody is looking at Conquistadors in the 21st century as some sort of inspiration for the future. History happened, it was significant, over a billion people speak Spanish because of it, for better or for worse. That's all of human history, it's one giant mess. It's frankly amazing that it turned out as well as it did, because war and conquering was always a constant in human history...of course, what we're experiencing now could be a relatively temporary time of stability before we descend into a world war again.

You might be interested in "The Mutiny of the Bounty" by Sir John Barrow for what went on between sailing ships and indigenous peoples of the islands they visited. I.e. quite a lot of sexual congress went on. In fact, one of the reasons for the mutiny was the sailors' unhappiness at being separated from their partners. When the mutineers returned, many of the indigenous women chose to accompany them on their trip to exile on Pitcairn Island.

Or Genghis Khan, Muhammed, the zulus, Egyptians, Assyrians, romans, Aztecs etc etc etc. every single color, creed you pick it. All mass murder and colonization. Human history in a nutshell.

We can also argue that saliors who went on such expedition were not average people, they probably had funding and had resources which they could trade with others for sex.

Also, once they've reached the shore, they wouldn't want to bath after such a long voyage?

You are saying if sailors didn't bath out of habit not because of necessity.