Mercury was given as medicine
The research team also tested the skeletons for their content of mercury. Mercury was used to prepare the color cinnabar, for gilding and as medicine against leprosy and syphilis.
The results of the measurements show that the urban population was more exposed to mercury than the rural population. Mercury was administered to treat especially leprosy, which almost half of the individuals in the study suffered from.
However the study reveals a difference in how effective the treatment was in the towns.
"Maybe they had more expertise in mercury treatments in Schleswig than in Horsens", says Rasmussen.
The article, "Comparison of mercury and lead levels in the bones of rural and urban populations in Southern Denmark and Northern Germany during the Middle Ages," by Kaare Lund Rasmussen et al. appears in Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports,Vol 3, Sept. 2015
Map showing the mentionend cemeteries in Germany and Denmark. Image courtesy University of Southern Denmark