Tracing Leprosy: The paleopathological study of the individuals excavated from the Sant Llàtzer leprosarium in Barcelona, Spain (12th-18th c.)

IF 1.3 3区地球科学 Q3 PALEONTOLOGY

International Journal of Paleopathology Pub Date : 2024-12-03 DOI:10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.11.005

Núria Montes , Clara Jáuregui , Rosa Dinarès , Vanesa Triay , Andrea Fernández-Vilela , Jordi Ruiz , M. Eulàlia Subirà , Maria Fontanals-Coll

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

Our objectives are twofold: to analyse the frequency of leprosy-related pathological lesions in the cemetery of Sant Llàtzer Hospital (12th-18th c.); and to examine how individuals affected by the disease were perceived and integrated into society during that period in Barcelona.

Materials

The skeletal remains of 87 individuals recovered from the cemetery.

Methods

All remains were analysed macroscopically and, when required, radiographed.

Results

Of the total number of individuals (n=87), 21 (24.1 %) showed evidence indicative of leprosy. Notably, the frequency of leprosy cases was lower in the 13th-15th c. (10 %; n = 50), the only period for which multi-person graves were documented.

Conclusions

The frequency of leprosy-related lesions in Sant Llàtzer is similar to that observed in other European Christian leprosaria, although it varies across the centuries. There is no funerary evidence that leprosy sufferers were treated differently than other citizens.

Significance

The cemetery of Sant Llàtzer, the first in Spain directly linked to a leprosarium, uniquely spans a significant period of activity. Its exceptionally preserved remains and rich records have offered unparalleled insight into the disease and its profound social implications.

Limitations

Leprosy affects the bone in only a small percentage of untreated cases. Moreover, poor preservation of skeletal remains may prevent diagnosis.

Suggestions for Further Research

Biochemistry, genomics, and proteomics might provide new insights into the disease, the origin and migrations of the individuals buried in Sant Llàtzer, as well as other aspects of their daily lives.

查看原文本刊更多论文

麻风病追踪：西班牙巴塞罗那Sant Llàtzer麻风病馆出土个体的古病理学研究（公元12 -18年）。

目的：我们的目的有两个：分析Sant Llàtzer医院墓地（12 -18世纪）麻风相关病理病变的频率；并研究在巴塞罗那，人们是如何看待受这种疾病影响的个人并将其融入社会的。材料：从墓地中发现的87具遗骸。方法：对所有遗骸进行宏观分析，必要时进行x线摄影。结果：总人数（n=87）， 21（24.1% %）显示麻风迹象。值得注意的是，13 -15世纪的麻风病发病率较低(10 %；N = 50)，这是唯一一个有多人坟墓记录的时期。结论：Sant Llàtzer的麻风相关病变频率与其他欧洲基督教麻风患者相似，尽管在几个世纪中有所不同。没有丧葬证据表明麻风病患者受到与其他公民不同的对待。意义：Sant Llàtzer墓地是西班牙第一个与麻风院直接相连的墓地，独特地跨越了一个重要的活动时期。其保存完好的遗骸和丰富的记录为了解这种疾病及其深刻的社会影响提供了无与伦比的见解。局限性：麻风病仅在一小部分未经治疗的病例中影响骨骼。此外，骨骼残骸保存不良可能会妨碍诊断。进一步研究的建议：生物化学、基因组学和蛋白质组学可能为研究这种疾病、埋葬在Sant Llàtzer的个体的起源和迁徙，以及他们日常生活的其他方面提供新的见解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Paleopathology PALEONTOLOGY-PATHOLOGY

CiteScore

2.90

自引率

25.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Paleopathology is the study and application of methods and techniques for investigating diseases and related conditions from skeletal and soft tissue remains. The International Journal of Paleopathology (IJPP) will publish original and significant articles on human and animal (including hominids) disease, based upon the study of physical remains, including osseous, dental, and preserved soft tissues at a range of methodological levels, from direct observation to molecular, chemical, histological and radiographic analysis. Discussion of ways in which these methods can be applied to the reconstruction of health, disease and life histories in the past is central to the discipline, so the journal would also encourage papers covering interpretive and theoretical issues, and those that place the study of disease at the centre of a bioarchaeological or biocultural approach. Papers dealing with historical evidence relating to disease in the past (rather than history of medicine) will also be published. The journal will also accept significant studies that applied previously developed techniques to new materials, setting the research in the context of current debates on past human and animal health.