Historic Brothels in North End

This article can be found at http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2010/10/18/north_end_dig_provides_rare_look_into_boston_brothels/?page=2

    This is a strange story to appear in the science section of the Boston Globe. Apparently, as said in the second paragraph, BU archeology professors have found artifacts in Boston’s North End that show a history of heavy prostitution in that area: “From toothbrushes to jewelry to cosmetics, and parts of 19 syringes used for hygiene, the treasure trove plucked from a now-buried site near Haymarket is evidence of a thriving, racy economy that the city’s prim Victorian image never acknowledges.” The rest of the story goes into more detail on the prostitution that was flourishing in these parts about a century and a half ago.

    But it doesn’t make much sense that this story would be in the science section. It seems like something that would just be under general news (or even under an ‘odd news’ section). There’s essentially no science. The archeology behind the study is barely mentioned—most of it is just about the brothel life in those days. Furthermore, the end of the story gets into an incredibly boring discussion on where the artifact collection can/should be stored; there’s very little interesting material after the first couple paragraphs. Perhaps the writer, Brian MacQuarrie, could have included more on the actual findings, or at least he could have made it a shorter article.