for further info:

Smallpox and Other Scourges of the Dead - Thomas A.J. Crist

Old Cemeteries, Arsenic and Health Safety - John L. Konefes & Michael K.
McGee

The Fungus Among Us: Coccidioidomycosis ("Valley Fever") & Archaeologists -
T. Michael Fink and                  Ken K. Komatsu

These articles are contained in "Dangerous Places: Health, Safety &
Archaeology" (Poirier & Feder 2001)


-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
Lauren Cook
Sent: Monday, June 13, 2005 8:36 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: coffin window glass


Coccidiodomycosis... it's a fungal infection spread by inhaling soil
containing its spores.  It mostly attacks the lungs.  It conveys immunity to
itself, but unfortunately, not to TB, which is more bacterial than fungal.

This is probably a good time to point out that I am not a doctor, nor do I
play one on TV. This information is for entertainment purposes only, and no
warranty, express or implied, is given.  In other words, if you want true
facts on any of this, consult a licensed physician!

Lauren Cook

-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Ron
May
Sent: Saturday, June 11, 2005 1:58 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: coffin window glass


There is another thing that lasts in soil for a very long time. I no longer
recall the spelling, but out here in California it is called Valley Fever
(coccidiodidiomycosis [or some such spelling] and another variant found in
caves is
Histoplasmosis. Both survive in soil for centuries and attack respiratory
passages and blood. One person, it was rumored in the 1960s, had an attack
to the
exterior heart tissue. Once airborne, it can be a problem for weeks. The
Valley Fever has been found in chicken coops and chicken ranches. There was
a
story that two Mountain Gorillas brought to the San Diego Zoo during the
1940s
died because someone brought in soil from a prehistoric site in the town of
Bonita, which contained Valley Fever. Lots of people get it, then it passes
they
only thought they had a cold. Others are attacked like pneumonia and some
folks
die. Once you survive, your body is immune to TB.

Ron May
Legacy 106, INc.