Analysis of Parasites from 19th Century Privy Contexts, Wilmington, Delaware

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Abstract
This article reports the finding of parasite ova in samples from four privy features excavated in Wilmington, Delaware. The privies, from which the samples were derived, dated to a variety of time periods ranging between 1790 and 1920. The predominate parasites found were the common roundworm, Ascaris lumbricoides, and the whipworm, Trichuris trichura. The presence of parasite ova in privies may serve as indicators of human feces within the organic matrix and be a possible source of valuable information of the health conditions of past urban dwellers. Potential health hazards to archaeological field personnel excavating these contexts is discussed.