On Bedbugs and Lice.

A critical reflection about humans, insects, microbes, and the supposed bubas of Cristopher Columbus.

Published in

Microbial Instincts

11 min readDec 4, 2023

*Portrait of a Man, Said to be Christopher Columbus (dated 1519), by Sebastiano del Piombo (*1485–1547). Metropolitan Museum of Art. Credit: Wikipedia.

The international press has echoed a large outbreak of bedbugs in recent months. The ugly and small ‘beasties’ first settled in the beautiful city of Paris. In the…

On Bedbugs and Lice.

A critical reflection about humans, insects, microbes, and the supposed bubas of Cristopher Columbus.

Written by Agustín Muñoz-Sanz