Megacolon From Chagas Disease in an Ancient Texan

Abstract

Question: The 1200-year-old remains of a Native American man were found buried in a rock shelter of the Lower Pecos region of south Texas. Death was approximately at 35–45 years of age. The dried, mummified remains contained a massively distended abdomen with deer hide binders encircling his abdomen (small arrows) placed during life to presumably support the massive abdominal dilation (Figure A). Chewed ingested gastric contents indicated a hunter–gatherer existence that contained vegetable material, insect parts, rodent, and snake skeletal remains.