International Journal of Paleopathology最新文献

{"title":"Temporal pattern of dental caries at the western flank of the Central Plateau of Iran, c. 2700 BCE – 1600 CE","authors":"Tabasom Ilkhan ,&nbsp;Joanna Trębicka ,&nbsp;Arkadiusz Sołtysiak","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.03.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.03.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>To analyze the overall frequency and inter-tooth patterns of caries in three populations from ancient cemeteries located along the western border of the Central Iranian Plateau as a means to explore whether the populations of Iran had greater access to fermentable sugars after the establishment of the great empires.</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>Dental collections from Kafarved-Varzaneh (Early Bronze Age, MNI=66), Estark-Joshaqan (Iron Age, MNI=57), Tappeh Poustchi (Timurid and Safavid Period, MNI=34), together with comparative data from NE Syria.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Frequencies of dental caries per tooth categories, location and size of carious lesions are analyzed using Smith’s Mean Measure of Divergence, Correspondence Analysis, χ² and Kruskal-Wallis tests.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>There are minimal differences in overall frequencies of carious lesions at Iranian sites, regardless of the chronology, but notable differences at Syrian sites. The inter-tooth pattern at the Iron Age cemetery in Estark appears distinctly different than the other Iranian sites and the comparative samples from Syria.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Divergent subsistence strategies may be linked with different inter-tooth patterns since people buried at Estark were mobile herders, while the other cemeteries were used by settled farmers.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>This comprehensive research on dental caries in three chronologically diverse populations in Iran sheds light on the association between dental caries and subsistence strategies, and introduces the Smith’s Mean Measure of Divergence to explore inter-tooth carious patterns, which may prove useful to other researchers seeking to understand the relationships between subsistence, diet, and the presence of carious lesions.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>The studied sample size is relatively small and therefore its temporal/regional distribution produces low-resolution results.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><p>More systematic research on the patterns of dental caries is necessary to produce more fine-grained reconstructions of diet and subsistence in Iran and around the globe.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"45 ","pages":"Pages 55-61"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140807491","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Protozoan parasites of birds from the Tremembé formation (Oligocene of the Taubaté Basin), São Paulo, Brazil","authors":"Gustavo Macêdo Do Carmo ,&nbsp;Bruno Pereira Berto ,&nbsp;Felipe Bisaggio Pereira ,&nbsp;Sueli De Souza Lima ,&nbsp;Hermínio Ismael De Araújo-Júnior ,&nbsp;Ralph Maturano Pinheiro","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.04.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.04.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>To analyze the presence of protozoan parasites in bird coprolites from the Tremembé Formation (Oligocene of the Taubaté Basin).</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>Twenty avian coprolites embedded in pyrobituminous shale matrices.</p></div><div><h3><strong>Methods</strong></h3><p>Samples were rehydrated and subjected to spontaneous sedimentation.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Paleoparasitological analyses revealed oocysts compatible with the Eimeriidae family (Apicomplexa) and one single Archamoebae (Amoebozoa) cyst.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>The present work increases the amount of information about the spread of infections throughout the Cenozoic Era and reveals that the Brazilian paleoavifauna played an important role in the Apicomplexa and Amoebozoa life cycles.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>This is the first record of protozoans in avian coprolites from the Oligocene of Brazil. These findings can help in the interpretation of phylogenies of coccidian parasites of modern birds, as certain taxonomic characters observed in the Oligocene Protozoa characterize monophyletic groups in current molecular phylogenetic analyses.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>None of the oocysts were sporulated; therefore, it is not possible to identify the morphotypes to genus or species.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><p>Our results create new perspectives related to biogeographic studies of the parasitic groups described and may improve the understanding of the temporal amplitude of parasitic evolutionary relationships between Protozoans and birds.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"45 ","pages":"Pages 46-54"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140632829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Two cases of smallpox from 1540 CE circum-contact (early colonial) Northern Coastal Peru","authors":"Khrystyne Tschinkel ,&nbsp;John Verano ,&nbsp;Gabriel Prieto","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.04.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.04.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>This project seeks to create a differential diagnosis for lesions found on the skeletal remains of two children as a means to explore the presence of viral disease in 16th- century Peru.</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>Extremely well-preserved human remains of two children who died between the ages of 1–2 years old, recovered from the circum-contact (∼1540 CE) cemetery in Huanchaco, Peru.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Macroscopic and radiographic analysis.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Both individuals present with cortical thickening, symmetrical destructive lesions, metaphyseal expansion, perforations, exposure of the medullary cavity, resorption of metaphyseal ends and necrosis of the long bones, and deposited reactive new bone. These features are consistent with osteomyelitis variolosa and bacterial osteomyelitis.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Three features of Individuals IG-124 and IG-493 suggest a highly consistent diagnosis of osteomyelitis variolosa: multiple skeletal lesions, the historical context of the area, and the high mortality rate of non-adults in the circum-contact cemetery.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>Although viral infections are ubiquitous and well documented historically, their etiologies are often difficult to determine in archaeological populations. <em>Orthopoxvirus variola</em> (smallpox) is one of the many viruses whose archaeological impact is still under explored in skeletal remains.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>The absence of smallpox in other children from the Huanchaco cemetery creates difficulty in ascertaining true prevalence rates or information on potential outbreaks.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><p>Further research analyzing aDNA from calculus and/or residues using a <em>DIP</em>-GC-MS method might create a better understanding of how smallpox spread through the region.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"45 ","pages":"Pages 35-45"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1879981724001992/pdfft?md5=3179789233e30ad35bab42123adb2aed&pid=1-s2.0-S1879981724001992-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140631246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Chronic Maxillary Sinusitis: A comparison of osteological and CT methods of diagnosis","authors":"Maia Casna,&nbsp;Sarah A. Schrader","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.04.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.04.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>To assess the differences between endoscopic and radiological methods of analysis for diagnosing chronic maxillary sinusitis (CMS) in archaeological skeletal remains.</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>32 crania from a Dutch post-medieval rural population.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>We assessed the presence of bone changes indicative of CMS (i.e., bone growth and bone resorption) both endoscopically and through computed tomography (CT), and then compared results.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>We observed moderate agreement between bone growth scores obtained through endoscopy and CT, and fair agreement when assessing bone resorption.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>CMS prevalence rates observed through CT may be comparable to rates assessed endoscopically, although caution is needed when making direct comparisons.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>This is the first study comparing data obtained through endoscopy and radiological methods in the study of CMS, informing paleopathologists about potential biases in data comparison.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>Our small sample size likely impacted results.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><p>Further research is advised to fully explore the comparability of endoscopic and radiological method of analysis in the study of sinusitis.</p></div><div><h3>Data Availability</h3><p>The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available upon request.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"45 ","pages":"Pages 30-34"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1879981724001980/pdfft?md5=27f5c47c6913be9bce37225919f47263&pid=1-s2.0-S1879981724001980-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140621905","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evidence of non-adult vitamin C deficiency in three early medieval sites in the Jaun/Podjuna Valley, Carinthia, Austria","authors":"Magdalena T. Srienc-Ściesiek ,&nbsp;Nina Richards ,&nbsp;Sabine Ladstätter ,&nbsp;Sylvia Kirchengast","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.02.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.02.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>This study aims to determine and discuss the prevalence of non-adult scurvy cases from the early medieval Jaun/Podjuna Valley in southern Austria.</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>86 non-adult individuals were assessed from three early medieval sites.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Morphological characteristics associated with suggestive and probable scurvy were observed macroscopically and under 20–40x magnification.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>A significant relationship between the prevalence of scurvy and age group was observed. Perinates (46%, 6/13) and children (27.5%, 8/28) showed a high prevalence of skeletal features indicating a diagnosis of scurvy, while no cases of scurvy were observed in adolescents and adults.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>In this Alpine region, scurvy occurred frequently in infants and children. Seasonal fluctuations of diet are discussed as factors triggering scurvy.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>This study sheds new light on the prevalence of scurvy in the Alpine region and how the region developed after the fall of the Roman Noricum. It also models ways in which multiple lines of evidence can contribute to the diagnostic process.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>Poor preservation posed a challenge to identifying probable cases of scurvy. Likewise, non-adult remains are difficult to diagnose due to their developing nature and it is not always possible to distinguish between normal bone growth and pathological growth.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><p>Future applications of biomolecular studies will help illustrate changes in diet that may have contributed to vitamin deficiencies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"45 ","pages":"Pages 18-29"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140191954","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Periodontitis and alveolar resorption in human skeletal remains: The relationship between quantitative alveolar bone loss, occlusal wear, antemortem tooth loss, dental calculus and age at death in a low socioeconomic status, modern forensic human collection from Yucatan","authors":"S. Thamara Noriega Muro ,&nbsp;Andrea Cucina","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.02.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.02.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>This paper assesses the relationship between the distance between the cemento-enamel junction and alveolar crest and risk factors commonly associated with periodontitis.</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>Eighty individuals between 28 and 92 years old with known biological sex and age were analyzed from a 20th century forensic human collection from Merida, Yucatan (Mexico).</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Macroscopic assessment, along with metric analysis, was employed using a probe.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Ante-mortem tooth loss was positively correlated with the distance between the cemento-enamel junction and alveolar crest, as was the presence of root calculus in females.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Cemento-enamel junction to alveolar crest distance is not a reliable indicator of periodontitis since it is not directly related to periodontitis-causing infectious pathogens, and since ante-mortem tooth loss can affect root exposure.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>This study demonstrates that a purely quantitative approach to diagnosing periodontitis in archaeological and forensic human remains can be misleading.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>The skeletal collection is only representative of the low socioeconomic class of Merida, and its female cohort is underrepresented. In addition, because the Xoclan collection is modern, limitations (particularly with respect to tooth wear) of the applicability of these interpretations to older archaeological remains exist.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestion for further research</h3><p>A combination of quantitative and qualitative characteristics of alveolar bone is needed to reliably diagnose periodontitis in skeletal populations.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"45 ","pages":"Pages 7-17"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140031495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Calcified uterine leiomyoma from an 18th-century nunnery in North Italy","authors":"Roberta Fusco ,&nbsp;Chiara Tesi ,&nbsp;Paolo Spina ,&nbsp;Ezio Fulcheri ,&nbsp;Marta Licata","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.01.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.01.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>To develop a differential diagnosis of a mass retrieved alongside skeletal remains in the crypt of the church of Santissima Annunziata of Valenza (Province of Alessandria, Northern Italy).</p></div><div><h3>Material</h3><p>A calcified mass measuring 40 × 39 mm and 17.62 × 16.3817.62 × 16.38 mm.</p></div><div><h3>Method</h3><p>The analysis utilized macroscopic assessment and histologic examination (including histochemical and immunohistochemical analyses).</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Morphological traits include an irregular and spongy external surface. Holes of different sizes lead toward the inner part of the object. A section of the mass shows an “intertwined bundle” pattern, confirmed by microscopic examination.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Differential diagnosis determined the mass to be consistent with calcified leiomyoma.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>Identifying uterine leiomyoma adds to the paucity of paleopathological literature on the condition and to calcified tumors more broadly. It also allows for an important discussion of women’s gynecological health in the past and potentially among nulliparous women.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>Neither histochemical staining nor immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated the certain muscular nature of the specimens due to the rehydration and decalcification processes, for which there are no gold standards.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><p>Calcified masses are common in the clinical literature but remain rare in paleopathological literature. Careful excavation and improved recognition of apparently calcified masses are necessary to improve recognition, diagnosis, and interpretation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"45 ","pages":"Pages 1-6"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1879981724000056/pdfft?md5=a9d2f2b48ec42206481b342def699fee&pid=1-s2.0-S1879981724000056-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139908032","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Animal disease evidenced in the bone assemblage of a Late Neolithic settlement in Greece: Implications for animal management","authors":"Eleni K. Samartzidou","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.01.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.01.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><p>The objective of the paper is to interpret pathologies on faunal remains in an effort to evaluate the presence of husbandry practices.</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>Bones and bone fragments from the Neolithic site of Dispilio, Greece. Those of domestic species were further studied.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>The pathological cases were examined macroscopically, the lesions were described, images were taken, and differential diagnoses were undertaken using published literature.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>77 out of the 13,026 bones and bone fragments recovered displayed pathological conditions including oral disease, joint disease, trauma and congenital conditions. Most pathologies were found in the axial skeleton of caprines.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Pathological conditions in caprines are possibly related to the use of overgrazed pastures and fattening of females and castrates. These cases indicate specific husbandry practices used at the site.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>Reconstructing husbandry practices is complex, especially in extremely old sites with fragmentary remains. This study provides one of the very few studies of a large Neolithic animal bone assemblage providing insight into early human-animal interactions in Greece.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>The research is based on the bone material of the two later occupation phases of the site. It includes material from one site.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><p>The bone assemblage of the earlier occupation phase should be studied for a diachronic investigation of husbandry practices at the site. Investigation of pathological cases in more settlements would provide a larger database for the evaluation of husbandry practices in Neolithic Greece.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"44 ","pages":"Pages 126-139"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1879981724000032/pdfft?md5=84ea6672f96d7a1c171e368d3c1d67ae&pid=1-s2.0-S1879981724000032-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139699701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Disability and care in Western Europe during Medieval times: A bioarchaeological perspective","authors":"Ileana Micarelli ,&nbsp;Mary Anne Tafuri ,&nbsp;Lorna Tilley","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.01.004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.01.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This Special Issue has its foundation in presentations delivered in the symposium <em>Disability and Care in Medieval Times: a Bioarchaeological Perspective into Health-related Practices</em> held at the 2019 European Association of Archaeologists conference in Switzerland. It comprises 12 papers, all relevant to aspects of pathology experience and/or care provision in Western Europe during the Early to Late Middle Ages (500 – 1500 CE). Reflecting the 1000 year timespan involved, these papers are characterised by diversity in subject matter and in the lifeways in which they are located, but all contribute to the symposium’s primary aim: to demonstrate that our understanding of the Medieval period is enhanced by cross-disciplinary, bioarchaeological research into individual and collective experiences of disability and care. This Introduction provides the background to the 2019 symposium, and briefly discusses the papers contained in the Special Issue which emerged from this.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"44 ","pages":"Pages 119-125"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1879981724000044/pdfft?md5=fa58b0c54ad3dd0b4824791e62b1c47a&pid=1-s2.0-S1879981724000044-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139694767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Surgery under siege: A case study of leg amputation in 18th century Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, Canada","authors":"N. Hughes ,&nbsp;A.B Scott ,&nbsp;D. Pitcher","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.01.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.01.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>Paleopathological analysis of a below-knee amputation was conducted to explore the sociocultural reasons why the amputation took place.</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>Older adolescent male (18–21 years) from the New Englander mass burial at the 18th century Fortress of Louisbourg.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Macroscopic assessment and archival data.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>A surgical amputation of the right tibia and fibula, distal to the knee was identified. The cross-sectional diaphysis of the leg has kerf marks and a splinter (breakaway point) at the posterior-lateral border of the tibia suggesting the leg gave way from its own weight or was manually removed once most of the sawing was complete.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Archival records suggest frostbite from prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures and trauma from unsafe working conditions at the Fortress were the main causes that led to amputation.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>This case study highlights the importance of contextualizing cases of amputation to understand factors leading to the amputation procedure and techniques used in the past, and the social and living conditions of the individual.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>Observations were restricted to skeletal material as soft tissue decomposed and there was no material evidence suggestive of amputation associated with this individual in their grave.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for future research</h3><p>Full trauma assessment of the Fortress of Louisbourg skeletal collection to provide additional insight into injury sustained at Louisbourg and 18th century surgical practices.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"44 ","pages":"Pages 112-118"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1879981724000020/pdfft?md5=dc8c699940d58945d6f674e3c3ecef95&pid=1-s2.0-S1879981724000020-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139503376","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}