Fugassa et al. 2007 Paleopathol. Newsletter

PALEOPATHOLOGY

NEWSLETTER Number 137, March 2007

PPA Board of Directors Jerome C. Rose, President ([email protected]) Pia Bennike, President-Elect ([email protected]) Karl Reinhard, Vice-President ([email protected]) Megan Brickley, Secretary ([email protected]) Ann L.W. Stodder, Treasurer ([email protected]) Mary Lucas Powell, Editor ([email protected]) Margaret Judd, DaL I (SAC Liaison) ([email protected]) Christine Hanson, DaL II (Awards) ([email protected]) Anne Grauer, Webweaver ([email protected])

Associate Editors Anagnostis Agelarakis ([email protected]) - Eastern Mediterranean Megan Brickley ([email protected]) - Europe Heather Gill-Robinson ([email protected]) - Canada Gary Heathcote ([email protected]) - Oceania & Pacific Rim Patrick D. Horne ([email protected]) - Annotated Bibliography Sheila Maria Mendonca de Souza ([email protected]) - Latin America Donald J. Ortner ([email protected]) - Case Studies Bethel Nagy ([email protected]) - Dissertation Abstracts Maria Ostendorf Smith ([email protected]) - North America Anastasia Tsaliki ([email protected]) - Website links

34th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA In a few weeks we will be heading for Philadelphia, “The City of Brotherly Love”, for the 2007 Annual Meeting of the Paleopathol-ogy Association. It won’t be as cold (we hope!) as Anchorage, Alaska, was in early March 2006, and the ‘extra added attractions’ include the famous pathology collections of the Mütter Museum instead of the Iditarod Dog Sled Race. Page 2 presents an overview of the Scientific Program, which opens with a Workshop by Donald J. Ortner and Bruce Ragsdale (the 18th in their long-running series) and includes 25 podium presentations and 37 posters, whose authors and titles are listed on pp. 3-6. The Agenda for the Annual PPA Business Meeting appears on page 6. The winner of 2006 Institute for Bioarchaeology Poster Award, “Quantitative Recording of Entheses” by Charlotte Henderson and Andrew J. Gallant, appears on pp. 6-12 of this issue. On page 15, Anastasia Tsaliki describes an updated list of websites on pathology, anatomy, human biology, museums, professional journals and schol-arly associations, and other related topics that are now easily reached via links on the PPA website. Long-time PPA member Soheir Mahfouz describes a new Study Group in Paleopathology and An-thropology in Egypt on page 16, and Martín Horacio Fugaza and colleagues describe new paleoparasitological discoveries from Patagonia, Argentina, starting on page 17. The Annual List of Ab-stracts for recent dissertations on topics in paleopathology begins on page 24. The submission of so much important and interesting scientific information for each issue makes the Editor’s job challeng-ing—but never dull! Mary Lucas Powell, editor

2 Paleopathology Newsletter

34th PPA ANNUAL MEETING (NORTH AMERICA) MARCH 27/28, IN PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

The 34th Annual Meeting of the Paleopathology Association is coming up very soon in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 27 and 28, 2007. All sessions of the meeting will be held at the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel, in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the American Asso-ciation of Physical Anthropologists. For accommodations, please visit the AAPA Local Arrangements website (http://www.physanth.org/annmeet/aapa2007/phillyhotels.htm). Registration for the PPA Annual Meeting begins on Monday (March 26) from 5-7 pm at the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel. On Tuesday (March 27), Registration continues from 8:00 am—11:30 am, then re-sumes 2:15 pm—3:30 pm+ on that afternoon and again on Wednesday morning (8:00—11:00 am). The Scientific Program opens on Tuesday morning at 9 am with a Workshop titled “Bone Lesions: Basic Pathogenesis and Anatomy”, the 18th in the long-running series organized by Donald J. Ortner and Bruce Ragsdale. Podium presentations will begin on Tuesday afternoon (2:15 pm—5:10 pm) and resume on Wednesday (8:00 am—Noon and 2:00 pm—5:10 pm), with a break for the Poster Session on Wednesday morning from 10:10 am – 11:00 am., when poster authors will be on hand to answer ques-tions. The posters will be on view that afternoon and all day on Wednesday. The Preliminary Program list of titles and authors for podium and poster presentations appears on pp. 3-5 of this issue of the News-letter. At the last two Annual Meetings, “Let’s Do Lunch!” was so popular that we decided to repeat it at the 2007 Annual Meeting, on Wednesday, March 28, beginning at noon at Pietro’s Pizzeria (near the confer-ence hotel). As before, the senior members will each treat 2 or 3 student members to lunch in a relaxed, informal setting, with plenty of time to chat about research interests, fieldwork, career goals, advice for getting into (and through) grad school, and other topics. And, back by popular demand, the Social Din-ner on Tuesday evening (7 pm, March 27) provides a relaxing social occasion. The cost of the Social Dinner is included in the Registration fee, so please plan to join us. Our student members are particu-larly encouraged to attend. The Social Dinner will be preceded by a Cash Bar (6:30-7:30 pm), and the Bar will remain open during the Dinner and the Annual Business Meeting which will begin at 8:30 pm and end by 10:00 pm. The Agenda for the Business Meeting appears on page 5 of this Newsletter. The Annual Meeting of the Student Action Committee will be held at noon on Tuesday, March 27. At the Closing of the Annual Meeting on Wednesday afternoon, the two winners of the 2007 Cockburn Student Award will be announced; they will each receive a cash prize and several new books on paleo-pathology donated by PPA officers. President Rose will present the 2007 Eve Cockburn Service Award. The new officers (President and Vice-President) will be formally installed at that time to begin their two-year terms of office, and the new Editor-Elect, Andrea Buck, will be introduced. And finally, for a bit of socializing after the Closing Remarks, PPA has arranged for a Cash Bar during ‘the cocktail hour’, close to the meeting room. Don’t miss a visit to the Mütter Museum (http://www.collphyphil.org/visit_mutter.htm), a unit of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, with its fascinating exhibits of fluid-preserved and dry-bone ana-tomical and pathological specimens and models and medical instruments. The collections are open to qualified researchers by advance appointment only; email [email protected] or call 215-563-3737. Two other events of interest: the Franklin Institute Science Museum (www.fi.edu) is currently hosting a special exhibit, “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharoahs” with many objects from his tomb, and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (www.museum.upenn.edu) has a companion exhibit, “Amarna: Ancient Egypt’s Place in the Sun”.

No. 137, March 2007 Paleopathology Newsletter 3

PODIUM PRESENTATIONS K Bernofsky - The Effects of Environment on Respiratory Health in Early Medieval North-East England A Boylston - ‘White Plague’ and ‘Black Death’ in the Medieval Cemetery of Hereford Cathedral, England D Degusta, L Kimbel, W P Brown, and R Cheng - Paleopathological and Osteological Analysis of an

Egyptian Child Mummy: The State of the Art in CT Scanning, Image Processing, and Physical Modeling

R Drew - Treponemal Disease in a Coastal South Florida Ossuary* A Foley - Assessment of Dental Modification and Wear at Chau Hiix, Belize* SE Groves and CA Roberts - Health and Welfare in a Late Anglo-Saxon Community at Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland MC Hill and VR Beasley III - Cremation in Prehistoric Eastern North America: an Example from

Shelby County, Alabama, with Larger Implications A Konstantatos - Diachronic Aspects of Karystians from the Island of Evia, Greece M Lewis - Abused and Neglected? Trauma and Malnutrition in Roman Children from Poundbury Camp,

Dorset UK T Manyaapelo and AG Morris - An Odontological Analysis of 18th and 19th Century Burial Sites from in

and around Cape Town* S Mays, M Brickley, and R Ives - Growth and Vitamin D Deficiency in a Population from 19th Century

Birmingham AJ Nelson, G Conlogue, R Beckett, J Posh, R Chhem, E Wright, and J Rogers - Multimodal Analyses of

Variability in Transnasal Craniotomy Lesions in Egyptian Mummies AJ Nelson, C White, S Thomson, M Rieder, G Koren, and S Van Uum -The Recovery of Endogenous

Corticosteroids from Hair from Archaeological Contexts in Egypt and the Americas BR Ragsdale - The Seven Basic Categories of Disease in the Spine DL Rainey - Abnormally Angulated Sacra in Historic Portuguese Skeletal Collections: Possible Secondary Osteomalacia* JC Rose and M Zabecki - Cribra Orbitalia Among Commoners At New Kingdom Tell Amarna, Egypt F Rühli, H Von Waldburg, C Hege, S Nielles-Vallespin, and P Speier - Ancient Dry Mummy Spatial

Tissue Discrimination By Noninvasive Clinical MRI H Schutkowski and R Adams - The Biocultural Context Of Differential Childhood Mortality In 19th

Century Wolverhampton, 19th Century Birmingham R Spencer - Palaeodietary And Biomolecular Analysis of Skeletal Remains with Diffuse Idiopathic

Skeletal Hyperostosis from Late Medieval England: Some Preliminary Findings* E Strouhal and A Nemeckova - Comparison of Frequencies and Diachronic Growth of Finds of Malignant Tumors in Europe and Ancient Egypt JM Toyne - Paleopathology, Cultural Identity and Human Sacrifice at the Templo de la Piedra Sagrada,

Túcume, Peru EA Tyler - Mueller Weiss Syndrome in Paleopathology* K Whitaker - Tuberculosis in the Past: Should Visceral Surface Rib Lesions be Added to the Diagnostic

Criteria? CB Whitley - Has NAGPRA Impacted the Excavation of Human Skeletal Remains?* POSTERS A Agelarakis, Y Serpanos, S Papadopoulos, and S Tsoutsoubei - Maritime Activities, Auditory Exostoses, and Skeletomuscular Changes in Classical Period Thasos Island Y Bailey, G Conlogue, J. Posh, and R. Beckett - Multi-Modality Paleoimaging of a Sideshow Mummy


R Beckett, G Conlogue, and D Henderson - Light Reflectance Signatures Among Mummified Organs

with Endoscopic Guidance and Radiographic Correlation – a Preliminary Study KA Blake - A Glimpse into the Daily Activities of an Early Medieval Welsh Community* J Buckberry - An Example of Ankylosing Spondylitis from Later Anglo-Saxon England SE Burnett and CF Merbs - Two Healed Hyoid Fractures from Prehistoric Arizona T Christensen, M Martínez-Lavín, and C J Pineda - Probable Case of Hypertrophic Osteoarthropathy in

a 11th -13th Century AD Male from South-West Hungary* AJ Curtin - On the Etiology of Occipital Lytic Lesions in Artificially Deformed Crania EA Digangi and JD Bethard - Differential Diagnosis of Cartilaginous Dysplasia and Probable Osgood-

Schlatter’s Disease in a Mississippian Individual from East Tennessee* J Euber, DC Cook, and SD Spencer - Incidence of Trachoma in Two Prehistoric Lower Illinois River

Valley Populations* LJ Friedling and AG Morris - Grave Tales: Lifestyles and Health in 18th And 19th Century Cape Town CM Gaither, M Murphy, G. Cook, and E Goyacochea - Consequences of Conquest? the Interpretation of

Subadult Trauma at Puruchuco-Huaquerones RJ Henneberg, M Henneberg, T Albrecht, and A Ciarallo - A Possible Amputation of a Forearm in an

Individual from Pompeii (79 AD) RJ Henneberg, D Ponomarev, A Rabinowitz, and L Sedikova - Hypertrophic Osteoarthropathy in Byzantine Chersonesos (Crimea, Ukraine), 8th-13th century CE E Herrscher, F Valentin, and R Colardelle - A Possible Case of Upper-Extremity Abnormality: a Radial

Longitudinal Dysplasia from a French Medieval Cemetery P Hervieu, E Herrscher, M Panuel, O Dutour, and R Colardelle - Severe Dry-Bone Manifestations of

Rickets in Childhood: a Reported Case from a Medieval Mass Grave B Howell - Human Decapitation at Amato, Peru* JD Jennings - Dietary Differences in Post-Medieval Britain: Stable Isotopic Evidence for Regional

Variation* MA Judd - From Herding to Hoeing: Skeletal Evidence for Subsistence Change in Neolithic Nubia GD Lane - Talking Teeth: A Preliminary Study of Human Dental Remains from Szazhalombatta, Hungary* S Marsteller and DJ Ortner - Evidence of Scurvy in North American Archaeological Skeletal Remains* M Masson - Osteological Evidence of Hypertrophic Osteoarthropathy in Neolithic Hungary: an Early

Case of Tuberculosis?* S Mays - Intervertebral Chondrocalcinosis: an Exercise in Differential Diagnosis GC Nelson and FC Madimenos - Unusual Cranial Deformation in a Gallina Skeletal Series D Pany, M Berner, S Radbauer, and GK Kunst - The Children in the Sewer – Infanticide in the Roman

Civilian City of Carnuntum? J Posh, G Conlogue, and R Beckett - The Use of MRI in the Evaluation of Three Mummies with Vary-

ing Methods of Preservation MA Rosado, A Capel, and K. Cuccia - Macroscopic and Microscopic Analysis of Calcined Bone, Early

Archaic, from Site 28-Cu-79, Cumberland County, New Jersey JW Sadvari - Dental Pathology and Diet at the Site of Khirbat Al-Mudayna (Jordan)* E Salter-Pedersen - A 15th Century Osteoporotic Hip Fracture with Complications* AK Scherer and A Lucia Arroyave - Differential Diagnosis of Bilateral Parietal Lesions of an Individual

from El Kinel, Guatemala SD Spencer - Trauma and a Possible Genetic Disorder in a Prehistoric Male from Southwest Indiana* D Swinson, M Brickley, J Snaith, and J Buckberry - Gout in Paleopathology: the Elusive Nature of

Urate M Teschler-Nicola, K Harkins, and D Schamall - Multiple Cases of Inherited Metabolic Disorder

(Mucopolysaccharidosis) in a Mediaeval Population from Pottenbrunn, Lower Austria


M Teschler-Nicola, D Schamall, and M Müller - Pathological Finds in a Poorhouse Cemetery of the 18th

Century (Wien-Kaiserebersdorf) – Preliminary Results M Tesoreiri - Distinguishing Specific Lesions and Patterning of Treponemal Disease in Medieval and

Post-Medieval Britain* RK Wentz - Paleopathology of Two Scythian Skeletons from Alexandropol, Ukraine RJ Wilson and D McCarthy - The Expression of Cancer on Bone * Entry In The 2007 Cockburn Student Award Competition PALEOPATHOLOGY ASSOCIATION ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING Tuesday, March 27, 2007 AGENDA Approval of the Minutes of the 2006 PPA Annual Meeting Reports by PPA Officers Editor of Publications (Mary Lucas Powell) PPA Treasurer (Ann L.W. Stodder) PPA Secretary (Megan Brickley) PPA President (Jerry Rose) Committee Reports: Nominating Committee: Election of New PPA Officers for 2007-2009 Student Action Committee: Election of new Co-Chair and Student Members Awards Committee: Eve Cockburn Service Award Future PPA Meetings: PAMinSA II, Santiago, Chile, November 14-16, 2007. XVII European Meeting of the Paleopathology Association in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2008. 35th PPA North American Annual meeting, Columbus, OH, April 8-9, 2008. Other PPA business: items from members President’s Closing Remarks (Jerry Rose) THE PRESIDENT’S PAGE (Jerry Rose) In just a short few weeks, it will be time for the 34th Annual Meeting (North American) of the Paleopa-thology Association in Philadelphia. The venue and schedule are set and a large number of abstracts for papers and posters have been submitted and are currently under review as I write. The ever-increasing number of abstract submissions is a very healthy sign for the Association and the profession. It is essential for the strength and growth of PPA, as well as for the field of paleopathology in general, for our members to view these meetings (including the two regional conferences) as key venues to announce new findings and to chart new research directions. The large number of registered participants and the


high quality of the scientific programs of the first Paleopathology Association meeting in South America (PAMinSA I, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil August 2005), the recent XVI Biennial European Meeting in Santorini, Greece (August 2006), and the upcoming meeting in Philadelphia all indicate that this indeed is happening. PAMinSA I was well attended and brought many new members into the Association. My congratulations to Sheila Mendonça de Souza and her team of editors for the publication of many papers from the Brazilian meeting in Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (volume 101 – supplement II, 2006). This is a very nice publication that does indeed advance the field. The PPA Meeting in Santorini was also well attended, and I have received many compliments on the quality of the papers. We also need to reach outside our own Association and provide linkages and support for local efforts wherever in the world they might occur. For example, in Cairo, Egypt, the Study Group of Anthropol-ogy and Paleopathology (a section of the Global Academy of Tropical Health) has 14 members (see the article on page 16 of this issue). They have an annual meeting and have pledged themselves to contrib-ute one article and present one lecture each year, as well as linking with other groups. Some (but not all) of the 14 members belong to PPA; we should make a special effort to recruit and bring all those with interests in paleopathology into our Association from throughout the world. Thanks to rapid electronic distribution of the Paleopathology Newsletter, there will be few who cannot participate in our Associa-tion and inform us about what they are doing. We cannot afford to miss knowing about innovative re-search and ideas. Each member has an obligation to the PPA to recruit from colleagues both local and abroad and from related disciplines such as clinical medicine, while not forgetting our most important asset: our students. This will be my last President’s Page essay, as President-elect Pia Bennike will succeed me in this office at the Philadelphia meeting. She has been active on the Board of Directors this past year, and because of our new bylaws, she will be able to take up the mantle of leadership with a good working knowledge of our Association. She will be prepared to implement decisions made at the Board meeting as well as the suggestions and decisions of the membership made at the Annual Business Meeting. Although I will reiterate these statements in Philadelphia, I here thank the officers of our Association for their support and hard work during my tenure as President of the Paleopathology Association. Anne Grauer has my special thanks for her incredible work as Treasurer (and until the previous year, also as Secretary). The job is very demanding, continues all year, and is the heartbeat of our association. Thanks, Anne, for a job well done. I also thank Mary Powell for an extraordinary job as the second editor of our Newsletter. After my two years as president, I now know the incredible effort required to produce a high-quality Newsletter and to send it out on time. Mary’s last issue will be for December 2007, and the Board of Directors has just selected her replacement. Thank you, Mary.

A GENTLE REMINDER TO OUR MEMBERS Following a long-standing tradition, this March issue of the Paleopathology Newsletter is sent out as a Gentle Reminder to all members who were current for 2006, even those who have not (yet) renewed their membership for 2007. If you are not sure of your paid-up membership status, check the address block on the mailing envelope of this issue of the Newsletter. If you see “2006” (immediately after your name), your membership has expired and you need to renew, so that you don’t miss the next issues of the Newsletter and its regular Supplements - the Scientific Programs & Abstracts booklets for the Annual Meeting (North America) 2007 in Philadelphia and PAMinSA II in Chile for 2007. For a copy of the 2007 PPA Membership Renewal form, go to the PPA website (www.paleopathology.org).


Quantitative Recording of Entheses Charlotte Y. Henderson1 and Andrew J. Gallant2

(1Department of Archaeology, University of Durham, England; 2 School of Engineering, University of Durham, England) Introduction Activity-related or occupational stress is one of the keys to understanding the daily lives of our ances-tors, which is fundamentally the goal of archaeology. Research questions typically asked relate to sex, social, and temporal differences in activity-levels. Comparison of data sets can only be performed if the data are equivalent, i.e., the same type of data have been collected, age distribution in the samples stud-ied must be comparable, and inter- and intra-observer error for activity-related markers must be mini-mal. The latter can be difficult for subjective data sets, as will be discussed below. Many methods have been used to explore activity-related stress in the skeleton, such as osteoarthritis patterns, but none are as ‘movement specific’ as musculoskeletal stress markers (MSM). These are changes involving bone formation or lytic processes at entheses, which are the attachment sites for mus-cle, tendon and ligament to bone. (The joint capsule is also included in the clinical literature on this topic.) Because MSM are directly related to the soft tissues which move the skeleton, they are perceived to be the best indicator of limb movement and have been widely utilised and discussed as indicators of activity-related stress (Al-Oumaoui et al. 2004, Hawkey 1988, Hawkey and Merbs 1995, Jurmain 1999, and Mariotti et al. 2004) Recording of entheses for MSM studies is normally performed by visual inspection, dividing the entheses into two categories: normal and abnormal. In the latter case, the types of abnormality and their scale of severity are also recorded (Hawkey 1988, Hawkey and Merbs 1995). Photographs are often used, as by these authors (ibid.), to reduce intra- and inter-observer error. Typically, all entheses are recorded on the same scale, i.e., roughness at the deltoid tuberosity on the humerus can have the same numerical value as a bone spur at the triceps brachii insertion (ibid). When this approach to enthesis recording was attempted by the first author, major problems were encountered. Many extant methods apply the same numerical value to every enthesis. However, there are differences in the normal morphology (and therefore normal appearance) of entheses (Benjamin et al. 2002). There are differences in the topography of normal and abnormal entheses (Figure 1, A-C). This can be quanti-fied, using metrology (i.e., the study of surface roughness) techniques. The most common types of ab-normality are different for each enthesis studied. There is no clinical basis for assuming that a scale of severity can be applied to enthesopathy formation. The implications of these problems for bioarchaeology are that misinterpretation of the results has led to errors when reconstructing activity patterns in past populations. This paper addresses the second of these points: how to record surface topography. Entheses, like synovial joint articulations, vary in shape. For example, the head of the femur is convex, and the radial head concave. These are normal features, and similar topographical differences also exist in entheses. By far the best way to record shape variation, along with enthesopathy formation, would be using 3-dimensional scanning, but this creates large data sets, is expensive, and involves complex geometry to compare the entheses (Bookstein 1996). For this reason, it was judged that a 2-dimensional approach would be faster and more cost effective. Several 2-dimensional approaches were tested, but found to be difficult to use. The best approach to date is described below.


Materials and Methods Materials: To record the curvature of the surface of the entheses, a metal profile gauge was used. A profile gauge is a device with multiple needles, commonly used to fit tiles around curved surfaces (Figure 3). The profile gauge was pressed against the surface in two intersecting planes: x and y (Figures 2 and 4). The surface was covered by a latex glove to avoid damage; this was found to have no statistically significant (Student’s T-test, alpha=0.05) effect on the results. These axes were determined from the central point of the enthesis and represent the length and breadth of the enthesis. The central point was determined by measuring the enthesis (Henderson 2005). The profile gauge was then used to draw the curvature of the surface onto paper, thus storing a representation of the data. This was performed on all well-preserved entheses observed in the upper limb of adult, male skeletons from the late medieval site of Fishergate House, York, England (Holst 2005). These skeletons were cho-sen because of their completeness and excellent surface preservation. These skeletons also have many enthesopathies. Entheses recorded were: supraspinatus insertion on the greater tuberosity of the humerus, common extensor origin on the lateral epicondyle of the humerus, and biceps brachii insertion on the radial tube-rosity. All of these entheses are fibrocartilaginous and their normal appearance is a smooth, well-delimited area, very similar to synovial joint surfaces. This makes abnormalities at these sites easy to detect, making them ideal for this study. Methods: Firstly, visual recording of the entheses was undertaken. Entheses were scored on a binary scale of normal or abnormal, based on macroscopic appearance. No further categorising was performed. All nor-mal entheses had smooth and well-defined surfaces. Abnormal entheses were any that had bone spurs, woven bone, lytic lesions, or rough regions of bone instead of the normally smooth subchondral bone. A brief description was made of the anomaly. It was also noted whether the abnormality was intersected by the x or y axis. All abnormal entheses were included, even those from skeletons with disease processes such as diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH), which are associated with enthesopathy forma-tion. This is because this research was used to test whether differences in normal and abnormal entheses can be quantified; consequently the aetiology of the abnormality is irrelevant. The profile gauge was then used to record the enthesis in three stages, with the final stage supplying the quantitative data on enthesis topography. Stage 1: To record the topography of the enthesis, the profile gauge was first placed against the surface to be measured in either the x or y axis (Figure 2). These axes ran through a central point on the enthesis, de-termined by measuring the size of the enthesis in both the x and y axes. Stage 2: The line representing the surface topography of the enthesis was transferred to paper. This acted as a filter to smooth out the jagged edges of the profile gauge. These lines were then digitised using a digital scanner and the graphics program Corel PhotoPaint 11. The routine, written in MATLAB (VERSION 5.3) required differentiation in pixel “colour” between the line and the background, and so the files were converted into black and white using the ‘line art’ setting (threshold set at 128). Random pixels of the wrong colour were removed by hand, making the line clearly visible. The images had to be converted back to grey-scale for the routine to function. At this stage all lines were rotated so that the starting points of the lines were from the same part of the bone. This was necessary to create comparable


data sets from both left and right sides of the body. Stage 3: The line was then “scanned” using a routine written for MATLAB (VERSION 5.3). This routine also calculated roughness parameters, commonly used in materials science (Gadelmawla et al. 2002), de-scribed in Table 1 and depicted graphically in Figure 5. Roughness parameters, i.e., measures of the variation in surface smoothness, are widely used in materi-als science to categorise surfaces and in manufacturing to determine whether they are suitable for their application (Scarr 1967). The parameters used in this study fall into four categories. Descriptors of amplitude (Rq and Ra) measure the vertical variations in surface roughness in relation to a mean line, e.g., the height variation in relation to the mean line (Gadelmawla et al. 2002). These are the most com-monly used measures of surface topography. Spacing parameters (HSC, Peak number, Peak frequency) measure horizontal variations, e.g., the number of peaks in the sampling length (ibid.). Hybrid parame-ters (mean slope and relative length) combine both vertical and horizontal elements (ibid.). The final category of parameters was defined by the authors of this paper (mean displacement and area displace-ment). Size standardisation was not performed. Further analysis will determine whether this step is required. Results No statistically significant differences (Student’s T-test, alpha=0.05) in size or roughness were found between left and right sides, so these data were pooled. The visual recording of enthesopathies was used to place the entheses in either the normal (group 1) or abnormal (group 2) categories. This allowed the roughness parameters to be tested for their ability to accurately distinguish between normal and abnor-mal entheses (abnormal cases were only those in which the profile gauge intersected an anomaly). Discriminant function analysis was applied to determine whether the roughness parameters as a whole could be used to define the topography of the entheses. Figure 6 demonstrates that the functions could correctly determine in which group an enthesis belonged in at least 60% of cases. When both groups were combined they could be correctly classified in at least 70% of cases. Preliminary analysis indicates that the most important parameters for these functions were area displacement, Rq and Ra. It has been determined that roughness parameters need to be selected for the enthesis upon which they are utilised, because of differences in normal surface topography. Further research is required to determine which parameters are the most suitable. This should increase the proportion of correctly classified entheses using discriminant function analysis. Discussion The study of activity-related enthesopathy formation has the potential to highlight differences in activity levels in past populations. These differences can provide information on, for example, social hierarchies and changes in lifestyle relating to changes in subsistence strategies. Although such research seems relatively widespread in North America, scepticism with regard to current recording methods and inter-pretation of results in Britain has led to this area of bioarchaeological research being neglected (personal communications from British osteologists). The first author, when attempting to use such subjective methods, discovered a range of problems. It is, therefore, necessary to create a recording method that is objective and easy to use. The aim here was to demonstrate a quantitative, objective method for recording enthesopathies. In the process, it has been demonstrated that the surface topography of entheses is also important for their analysis and interpretation. This was achieved using roughness parameters commonly used in materials science. This study was limited to three entheses, all of which are considered to be fibrocartilaginous.


This enabled simple differentiation between normal and abnormal entheses: normal entheses are defined as smooth and well delimited like the articular surfaces of synovial joints. Anything that deviated from this was considered abnormal. Using roughness parameters it was successfully demonstrated that they can be used to distinguish between normal and abnormal entheses (discriminant function analysis). Further research is necessary to expand this methodology to enable the recording of other entheses, both fibrocartilaginous and fibrous (Figure 7 demonstrates the lack of well-defined edges to these entheses). It is also necessary to be able to relate this data back to clinical literature to facilitate correct interpreta-tion of the abnormalities. The primary advantage of this method is the digital storage of the surface to-pography of entheses. This permits large data sets to be created, stored, analysed and re-analysed, even if the skeletal material has been reburied. Currently, visual recording of entheses cannot be re-interpreted using different recording methodologies because the numerical description does not provide enough information. However, digital data can be re-analysed using other mathematical techniques not discussed here, depending on the research questions posed, and on future developments in the under-standing of enthesopathy formation. This makes quantitative enthesopathy recording of entheses a pow-erful tool for the future interpretation of activity-related stress. Conclusions Musculoskeletal stress markers have been widely utilised in bioarchaeology to study activity levels in skeletal assemblages. However, they are normally recorded visually using methods which do not take into account their normal appearance or shape variation. Two-dimensional surface analysis can provide quantitative data which can be used to study aspects of shape, slope gradient, and roughness of entheses. Such information could be used to study the evolution of hominid bipedal locomotion, as well as the relationship between repetitive physical activity and enthesopathy formation. The quantitative method described here achieves the aim of quantifying enthesis topography, as discussed above. Digitisation of surface topography also achieves both the goals of data storage and data analysis necessary for the study and comparison of MSM from different skeletal assemblages. References Al-Oumaoui I, Jiménez-Brobeil S, and du Souich P. 2004. Markers of activity patterns in some populations of the Iberian Peninsula. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 14: 343-359. Benjamin M, Kumai T, Milz S, Boszczyk BM, Boszczyk AA, and Ralphs JR. 2002. The skeletal attachment of tendons - tendon 'entheses'. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A 133

(4): 931-945. Bookstein FL. 1996/1997. Landmark methods for forms without landmarks: morphometrics of group

differences in outline shape. Medical Image Analysis 1(3): 225-243. Gadelmawla ES, Koura MM, Maksoud TMA, Elewa IM, and Soliman HH. 2002. Roughness parameters. Journal of Materials Processing Technology 123: 133-145. Hawkey DE. 1988. Use of Upper Extremity Enthesopathies to Indicate Habitual Activity Patterns. M.A.

Thesis. Department of Anthropology, Arizona State University. Hawkey DE and Merbs CF. 1995. Activity-induced musculoskeletal stress markers (MSM) and subsistence strategy changes among ancient Hudson Bay Eskimos. International Journal of Os-

teoarchaeology 5: 324-338. Henderson CY. 2005. Measuring rotator cuff disease. Paper presented at the 32nd Annual Meeting

(North America) of the Paleopathology Association, Milwaukee, USA. Holst M. 2005. Artefacts & environmental evidence: the human bone. In: Spall CA and Toop NJ

(editors). 2005. Blue Bridge Lane & Fishergate House, York. Report on Excavations: July 2000 to July 2002. Monograph 001, APC Monograph Series. http://


www.archaeologicalplanningconsultancy.co.uk/mono/index.php Jurmain RD. 1999. Stories from the Skeleton: Behavioural Reconstruction in Human Osteology. Amsterdam, Gordon and Breach. Mariotti V, Facchini F, and Belcastro MG. 2004. Enthesopathies - proposal of a standardized scoring

method and applications. Collegium Anthropologicum 28(1): 145-159. Scarr A JT. 1967. Metrology and Precision Engineering. London, McGraw-Hill. Acknowledgements Professor CA Roberts and Dr. AR Millard for advice and support. Institute of Bioarchaeology for funding to attend the 16th European Meeting of the Paleopathology Association in Santorini, 28th August - 1st September 2006. M Holst, for the skeletal analysis and M Griffiths, the excavator of the skeletons from Fishergate House, York.

Figure 1. Variations in surface topography of the common extensor origin. A is a smooth sur-face without ridges. B is a smooth surface with ridges. C is a surface with ridges and circular bony lumps with a lack of complete smoothness even in the areas without post-mortem damage. This represents an example of an abnormal enthesis.

Figure 2. (left) To record the roughness of the enthesis, a profile gauge was placed against the surface to be measured in either the x or y axis. (Skeleton F77 right biceps brachii insertion)

Figure 3. (right) Radius, demonstrating the use of the profile gauge in axis x on the biceps brachii insertion.

Figure 4. (below) Skeleton F77 right biceps brachii insertion, axis y. Arrow head indicates proximal end.


Figure 5. MATLAB (VERSION 5.3) graphical output demonstrating curves and roughness parameter values for skeleton F77 biceps brachii insertion, axis y. Note that there are parameters calculated not discussed in this paper. These represent the roughness of a midsection (mid 4/6ths of the curve) of the enthesis and skewness and kurtosis, used to differentiate Rq and Ra of curves with similar values but different curvatures.

Figure 7. Example of a fibrous enthesis: deltoid tuberosity (deltoid insertion) with marked hypertrophy (arrow). Such rough-ness is typical of fibrous entheses, making abnormalities at these sites difficult to record.

Figure 6. Discriminant function analysis of entheses divided into groups and correctly classified using the roughness parameters. Group 1 represents normal entheses, and group 2 those abnormal entheses which are intersected by the pro-file gauge.


NEWS FROM THE FIELD . . . Paleopathology at SAA in Puerto Rico (Maria O. Smith, Loyola University, Chicago) The 71st annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, April 26-30, 2006. There were several sessions that specifically focused on skeletal analysis: three symposia (#10, #47/#82, and #251) and one poster session (#141). Within these, the following presenta-tions specifically dealt with topics in paleopathology. Symposium 10 addressed “Health Consequences of Imperialism as Mirrored in Bioarchaeological Data”. The organizer, Tiffany Tung (Vanderbilt Uni-versity), presented an overview. Generally variable health consequences were reported for Peruvian communities under the political umbrella of the Andean Inca/Inka (AD 1438-1533) in Cuzco (Valerie Andrusko, UC Santa Barbara; Elva Torres, Instituto Nacional de Cultura-Cusco; and Viviana Belle-femine, Archeo-Tec, Inc., Oakland California), and in Chachapoyas Province (Florencia Bracamonte Ganoza and Kenneth Nystrom, Santa Clara University, California, and Warren Church, Columbus State University, Ohio). Maria Antonietta Costa Junqueira (Museo Arquelogico, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile) and Christina Torres-Rouff (Colorado College) examined health status under the Andean Tiwanaku state (AD 550-1000). In Mexico, the impact on health of food insecurities in the Late Post-classic Terascan state (~ 13th – 15th centuries AD) were discussed by Laura Cahue (U South Carolina), and the consequences of participation in Aztec empire (14th-16th centuries AD) ritual by Juan Alberto Roman Berelleza (unaffiliated). Roman hegemony was assessed at Kourion in Cyprus by Nathan Harper (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) and Danielle Parks (Brock University), and in osteological samples from Amman, Jordan by Joshua Fairchild and Megan Perry (both from Eastern Carolina Uni-versity). In Nubian samples, Michele R. Buzon (University of Alberta, Canada) assessed Egyptian (New Kingdom) colonialism, and Margaret Judd (University of Pittsburg), Joel Irish (University of Alaska, Fairbanks) and Alain Froment (Musee de l’Homme) assessed volunteer human sacrifice. Jacqueline T. Eng (University of California, Santa Barbara) examined the health challenges consequen-tial to the collapse of the Han Dynasty (206 BC- AD 220) in peripheral northeast China. The symposium “The Dead Do Tell Tales: Jane E. Buikstra and Narratives of the Past,” was divided into two parts. Part I (Session 47) was organized by Maria Cecilia Lozada (University of Chicago) and Part II (Session 82) was organized by Barra O’Donnabhain (University College, Cork, Ireland). Two papers were specifically paleopathological: George Milner (Penn State) addressed changes in trauma from the

Biographical sketches of the authors Charlotte Henderson is currently a PhD student in the Department of Archaeology at Durham University (UK) under Prof. C. Roberts. Her thesis title is: A Tripartite Analysis of Musculoskeletal Stress Markers (MSM). She completed her MSc in Palaeopathology in 2002 at Durham University (thesis title: Are the Presence or Absence of Post-Cranial Nonmetric Traits Linked to Occupation and Lifestyle?). Her BA was completed in 2001 in the Department of Philosophy at Durham University. Her research interests include MSM, "boneformers", diseases causing enthesopathy formation, biomechanics and the long term curation of skeletal remains. Dr Andrew Gallant is a Research Associate in the School of Engineering at Durham University. He has over six years experience in the fabrication and analysis of novel microstructured surfaces and actuators.


medieval to the modern period, and Deborah E. Blom and Debbie Stevens-Tuttle (both from the Univer-sity of Vermont) assessed health status in a Tiwanaku sample. In Symposium 251, linear enamel hy-poplasia was examined in the interments of the historic Old Frankfurt (Kentucky) cemetery by Mindi King (AMEC Earth & Environmental). The bioarchaeology poster session (Session 141) included six presentations on pathology. These were: craniofacial disorders as depicted in Olmec art (Cheryl Hill and Jason DeLeon, both from Penn State), lead exposure in post-Roman Britain (Susan Hughes, Paul Budd, Andrew Millard and Charlotte Roberts, University of Durham, UK, and Jane Evans, National Isotopic Geophysical Laboratory, British Geologi-cal Survey), dental pathologies in Copper Age Hungary (Michelle Markovics, Florida State University), vertebral pathology and differential preservation by Vladimír Sládek, Patrik Galeta, Daniel Sosna, Lukáš Friedl (all from the University of West Bohemia, Pilsen, Czech Republic) and Martin Čechura (Museum of West Bohemia), trauma and post-mortem processing the Middle Woodland of the Central Mississippi Valley (Marta Alfonso, Bretton Giles, and Jennifer Brauder, SUNY-Binghamton), and Mimbres disease status at the pithouse-to-pueblo transition (AD 800-1130) by Janna Gruber (University of Oklahoma). In General Session 132 on Bioarchaeology, a paper on the paleopathology of the lowland Maya was presented by Anna Novotny (Arizona State University), and mortuary processing (possibly cannibalism) in Turkey circa 3500 BC was addressed by J.S. Oliver (Illinois State Museum), S. Gauld (Santa Monica College, California), S.A. Campbell (University of Manchester, UK), E.F. Cartner (UCLA), and S.W. Kansa (Alexandria Archive Institute, San Francisco, California). Dietary reconstructions based on dental caries and stable carbon isotope data in Woodland Period (AD 800-1300) Indiana were presented by Kimberly Allegretto (Brandeis University), Christopher Schmidt (University of Indianapolis) and Nikolaas van der Merwe (University of Capetown). In another General Session (218) on Bioarchaeol-ogy, Erika Hill (University of Alaska) assessed Peruvian trophy skulls. Several additional papers on paleopathology were also presented as part of other archaeological sessions and symposia. In Symposium 51, which focused on the archaeology of the Late Intermediate Period (~ AD 1000 – 1450) in the Andes, Christina Torres-Rouff (Colorado College) charted the parallel escalation of nutritional stress and violence in this cultural context. Violence was the theme in Symposium 128, which assessed temporal and spatial patterns of inter-personal trauma in Mesolithic to Iron Age Europe. The papers included a differential diagnosis of accidental versus deliberate trauma in Denmark (Pia Bennike, University of Copenhagen), a discussion of trauma in the British Neolithic (Rick Schulting, Queen’s University, Belfast), an assessment of skeletal versus archaeological evidence of en-demic violence (Christopher Knűsel, University of Bradford, UK) and two papers on the cultural context for Celtic ‘head-hunting’, one by Ian Armit and the other by Margaret McCartney, both of Queen’s Uni-versity, Belfast. In Symposium 145, Edwin Crespo-Torres (University of Puerto Rico) presented base-line paleopathological data for the civic-ceremonial center of Tibes (1200-400 BC) in Puerto Rico. In other sessions, pathologies from Andean skeletal samples were assessed for Ayacucho (Session 152, Brian Finucane, Oxford University, ) and the Chillon Valley of Peru (~2000 BC) (Symposium 167, Kathleen Forgey, University of Illinois, Chicago, and Keith Chan, University of Missouri, Columbia), and in Symposium 168, patterns of cranial deformation in Peru were discussed by Lori Jahnke (Tulane University). Issues in Mayan paleopathology were addressed in two sessions: Christine White, Alexis Dolphin, Jocelyn Williams, Jay Maxwell, of the University of Western Ontario and Julianna Matthews of the London School of Economics, identified significant childhood disease load the Post-Classic/Historical transition in Belize (Symposium 164), and a massacre of elites in Guatemala at the Mayan collapse was described by Arthur Demarest (Vanderbilt University), with Tomas Barrientos, Jose Suas-navar and Sylvia Alvarado (Session 238). The poor general health of early agriculturalists in the


Sonoran desert of Mexico was described by James Watson (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) with Ethne Barnes and Art Rohn (Session 124). In Symposium 211 which assessed the research status of the ‘Archaeology of Death,’ Della Cook (Indiana University) discussed the unrealized potential of life his-tory variables (e.g., nutrition, morbidity, growth and development) in mortuary analysis. The 2007 Society for American Archaeology meetings will be held April 25-29 in Austin, Texas. (To see the program for the 2007 meeting, go to: http://www.saa.org/meetings/index.html). COURSE LISTING: INTERNSHIP IN FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY

May, 2007 Dr. Tanya Peckmann, Dept. of Anthropology, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Novia Scotia, Canada, will offer an Internship in Forensic Anthropology (Anth 4701.0). This is a practical, hands-on course in forensic anthropology utilizing forensic skeletal remains from the Miami-Dade county Medical Exam-iner’s Office. The course is three weeks long: two weeks will be spent in the Miami-Dade county morgue concentrating on the examination and identification of skeletal human remains as well as writing ‘police’ reports, and one week in Halifax for the completion of a final project. (Pre-requisites: Anth 3471.1 and Anth 3472.2). The tentative dates are: May 5 – 19 in Miami, and May 20 – 26 in Halifax). For more information, contact Dr. Peckmann ([email protected]; telephone: 902-496-8719). NEW LINKS ADDED TO THE PPA WEBSITE: CHECK THESE OUT! (Anastaska Tsaliki, Associate Editor, Website Links) The newly expanded list of interesting and informative websites now linked to the Paleopathology Association’s own website (www.paleopathology.org/links.html) includes the official websites for 11 different professional scientific Associations and Societies in Europe, Canada, Great Britain, and the USA whose focus is anthropology, archaeology (both prehistoric and historic), human biology, human identification, and medical anthropology. Seven websites (under the heading Biological Anthropology) present information on human anatomy and physiology, including an on-line version of the classic 1918 edition of Grey’s Anatomy (www.bartelby.com/107) and another site (Historical Anatomies on the Web; www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/historicalanatomies/home.html) that provides access to high quality images from a variety of important anatomical atlases in the collections of the National Library of Medicine, US National Institutes of Health. Other sites feature arrays of digitized 2-D and 3-D images of human and primate anatomy. Four museums of health and medicine are listed, as are five international institu-tions (e.g., the World Health Organization) concerned with scientific research that includes topics in health, epidemiology, forensic identification, and advances in biotechnology. Websites for fifteen pro-fessional journals of anthropology, archaeology, paleopathology, and human biology are listed; some of these are affiliated with one of the professional Associations mentioned above, and are also linked to those institutions’ websites. Seven on-line libraries and databases facilitate literature and topical searches of myriad subjects, authors, titles, and keywords. Four sites focus on human pathology of both hard and soft tissues, designed primarily for teaching pathological anatomy to medical students but very useful for paleopathologists as well. And, last but not least (certainly for students!), is the list of 14 sites relevant to The Job Market and Funding, two topics of great importance for the continuation of our discipline. If you see additional websites that would be of interest to PPA members, please contact the Website Links editor ([email protected]) with your suggestions.


Study Group of Anthropology and Paleopathology The Global Academy of Tropical Health

Professor Soheir Mahfouz, a long-time PPA member in Cairo, Egypt, has announced the creation in 2006 of a new Study Group of Anthropology and Paleopathology, as part of GATH INTERNATIONAL (the Global Academy of Tropical Health). Professor R. Kamel is the President of this fifteen-member study group, which includes medical and academic specialists in orthopedic surgery, rheumatology, pa-thology, parasitology, internal medicine and tropical diseases, urosurgery, biochemistry, anatomy, bio-anthropology, and bioarchaeology. As Dr. Mahfouz, a pathologist by training and the Coordinator of the Study Group, so aptly notes, “The past teaches us how to live today and how to move forward to a better existence.” The main mission of GATH is to promote public awareness of tropical health and cultural development through education, research, and training programs, as well as providing e-learning sessions in various fields of interest related to tropical regions. The Study Group has the following objectives, in accor-dance with the main mission of the Academy: ♦ Providing insights for medical research through the understanding of the history of populations and

disease prevalence in ancient times, and ♦ Arriving at an understanding of human disease by correlating the pathological findings in mummi-

fied tissue and ancient bones with known historical and cultural trends. Topics of interest (as suggested by Study Group members) include: • Public health and nutrition • Tropical diseases, including parasitic disorders and infections • Advances in paleopathological techniques • The evolution of medical practices from early times to the present • Significant contributions to medicine from Egyptian medical papyri • Cures or magic? medical treatments in the ancient world • The stories told by ancient bones • Identifiable diseases in the ancient world—comparisons with similar modern medical conditions • History of medicine: the Kasr Al Ainy Historical Library and Collections • Assisting Egyptian institutions in preserving their cultural and historical heritage During its first full year of organization (2006-2007, Phase I), the Study Group will focus on prepara-tions for thematic presentations at the upcoming international meeting of GATH in 2008, the preparation of articles to be included in the History section of the Encyclopedia of Tropical Health, and submission of manuscripts to the forthcoming International Journal of Paleopathology. Ideally, each Study Group member will contribute at least one article for publication and present at least one lecture each year. In 2008 (Phase II), the Study Group plans to organize a Workshop on the proper handling and manage-ment of collections of ancient organic materials (human, animal, and plant remains) for analysis and in-terpretation. This Workshop will be publicized in the Paleopathology Newsletter and the Egyptian Pa-leopathology Journal and on the websites of GATH and the Paleopathology Association. Phase III of the Group’s activities will include developing links with other regional and international associations with similar goals and interests and providing hands-on assistance at selected archaeological projects. The Paleopathology Association salutes the creation of this new Study Group and we look forward to informative and productive interactions with its members in the coming years!


New Paleoparasitological Finding in Caves from Patagonia, Argentina Martín Horacio Fugassa1, Adauto Araújo2, Norma Haydeé Sardella1, Guillermo María Denegri1, and Ricardo Anibal Guichón1 (Email: [email protected]) 1Laboratorio de Zoonosis Parasitarias, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencas Exactas y Natural, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata / CONICET. Funes 3350, Mar del Plata (7600), Argentina; 2Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública – Fundaçao Oswaldo Cruz, Río de Janeiro, Brasil. Introduction Coprolite studies performed in Argentina have been mainly focused in diet, food remains, and paleoen-vironmental conditions (D’Antoni, 1974; Figuerero Torres, 1986; Figuerero Torres et al., 1982). Pa-leoparasitologic studies in coprolites from Patagonia are scarce (Gonçalves et al., 2003; Zimmerman & Morila, 1983), although two recent reports have been published (Fugassa & Guichón, 2005; Fugassa et al., 2006). This is because the Patagonian samples collected consist mainly of felid, canid, and human coprolites, which are not easily distinguished. Hunter-gatherers were the first to inhabit the region (Civalero & Aschero, 2003). However, coprolites from that cultural context are not so easily associated with artifacts and other human remains as they are in agriculturalist societies. Therefore, one must pay attention to every detail during coprolite analysis. For example, the bizarre odor of a coprolite after rehydration helped to identify a sample of dubious ori-gin (Fugassa et al., 2006). Consequently, comparisons of parasites, food remains, and other biological aspects of local fauna with coprolite finds are essential to analyze samples of uncertain origin (Chame, 2003). Parasite finds in a coprolite of probable human origin from Patagonia are presented here. The cultural and ecological aspects of the archeological site are discussed, based on the paleoparasitological analysis. Materials and Methods The archaeological site Cerro Casa de Piedra 7 (CCP7), Perito Moreno National Park (Figure 1A & B), Santa Cruz, Argentina, is located in the transition zone (ecotone) of a deciduous woodland and the bushy steppe (Civalero & Franco, 2003). The site CCP7 has a 19 stratigraphic layer sequence with evidence of human occupation radiocarbon dated from ca. 9700 to 3400 years before present (B.P.) (Civalero & Aschero, 2003). The coprolite sample was found in a layer dated to 7880 ± 150 14C years B.P.1

Morphological aspects of the coprolite have been described elsewhere (Jouy-Avantin, 2003). Fragments were extracted from the surface and the interior to perform paleoparasitological analysis. They were re-hydrated (Callen & Cameron, 1960) and microscopically examined after spontaneous sedimentation (Lutz, 1919). As a laboratory routine procedure, 80 slides were prepared and examined as recommended (Araújo et al., 1988), but half of them were processed without acetic formalin solution to test egg preser-vation. Macroscopic remains were dried at room temperature and observed under a stereoscopic micro-scope to identify diet components.

Results Coprolite morphology, compared with known mammal feces of the region, pointed to humans or to an extinct canid origin, probably Dusicyon avus. Macroscopy revealed rodent fur and an unidentified ar-ticular bone fragment of 1 cm length. Charcoal fragments, as well as toasted plant remains and other plant tissues were observed. Moreover, fragments of siliceous and a black obsidian residue were found.


Macroscopic examination of the fur identified exposed numerous short hairs of white-grey color, with guard hairs of c. 1 cm length, distal brown color, tri-serried marrow, and lanceolated scales, probably attributable to the rodent Akodon sp. Moreover, one fragment of reddish hair, 80 µm diameter, with mosaic scales and spongy marrow compatible with Lama guanicoe, was identified.

The coprolite’s surface and interior showed different parasitological results. In the sediment extracted from the interior, elliptic eggs were found, with thick ornamented and radiated porous shell, and polar plugs, compatible with Capillaria eggs (Figure 2A), measuring 57.5-70.0 µm (66.12 ± 2.69; n = 28) x 35.0-45.0 µm (40.36 ± 2.47; n = 28). Only two operculated eggs of two unidentified trematodes species, one of them measuring 116.25 x 80.0 µm and the other 102.5 x 75.0 µm, were observed (Figure 2B). On the surface of the coprolite, fewer Capillaria eggs were found, compared with the sample from the interior. Thin translucent-shell eggs attributable to cestodes were also recovered. Elliptical eggs, measur-ing 25.0-37.5 µm (32.34 ± 3.68; n = 8) x 22.5-37.5 µm (26.72 ± 4.86; n = 8), with embryophore, measur-ing 42.5-57.5 µm (47.41 ± 5.56; n = 8) x 31.25-42.5 µm (37.66 ± 4.74; n = 8) were observed, probably belonging to Hymenolepis nana (Figure 2C). A Trichuris egg measuring 65.0 x 32.5µm (Figure 2D), and an ascaridid egg, probably of Nematodirus sp. or Lamanema sp., measuring 162.5 x 87.5µm were also discovered, as well as one oocyst of Eimeria sp. (measuring 125.0 x 96.25 µm in diameter, with the in-side measuring 67.5 x 45.0 µm) (Figure 2E). Both on the surface and in the interior of the sample, ellip-tic translucent thick-wrinkled shell eggs, measuring 55.0-62.5 µm (58.33 ± 3.12; n = 3) x 31.25-32.5 µm (32.08 ± 0.59; n = 3) with larval inside were found (Figure 2F). These eggs were identified as Metas-trongylus sp. or Physaloptera sp. With respect to the use of formalin solution, the eggs of all helminths found showed no morphological differences with or without the addition of this substance. Discussion Coprolite size and shape are relevant characteristics to determine the zoological origin of the sample (Chame, 2003), as feces shape and diameter are the best specific indicators for this identification (Cornejo Farfán & Jimenez Milón, 2001). The shape and dimensions of this coprolite are compatible with those of humans or of some wild extinct canid (Dusicyon avus), bigger than those presently inhabit-ing the region (Pseudalopex culpaeus) (Olrog & Lucero, 1981). A felid coprolite origin was discarded, as food remains showed many plant contents, pointing to an omnivorous animal. Even though charcoal remains have been recorded in canid coprolites (Fugassa et al., 2006), the number of charcoal fragments pointed to a coprolite of human origin. In addition, siliceous and black obsidian fragments suggest a probable anthropic origin. Rodent fur was abundantly found (Chehebar & Martín, 1989), but this is not surprising. During Magellan’s voyage in 1519, Pigafetta (2001) recorded how the aboriginal people of San Julián, Santa Cruz province, Argentina, trapped rats in the boats, eating the bones, fur, and skin. Rodent hairs and bones have also been found in other human coprolites (Reinhard et al., 2003; Rhode, 2003; Sianto et al., 2005; among others). Apparently, rodents were eaten along with other foods (Reinhard et al., 2003). Therefore, the abundance of animal hair is not sufficient to dis-card the coprolite human origin.

The shape and size of some eggs found correspond to those of Hymenolepis nana (Thienpont et al.,1979), whose biological cycle involves both rodents and humans (Miyazaki, 1991). In the case pre-sented here, the eggs were found only on the coprolite surface, agreeing with the expected distribution of Cestode eggs and proglotids (Miyazaki, 1991). This distribution may indicate that this is a real case of parasitism and not a false one, due to the ingestion of raw infected hosts. It is important to note that for the examinations of the surface and the inside of the coprolites, different parasitic results are provided.


To summarize, this coprolite’s morphology, shape and size, food contents, charcoal and siliceous fragments, and Hymenolepis nana eggs correspond to a human origin. Capillaria sp. eggs are sugges-tive of C. hepatica. However, in parasitized humans, eggs are found in liver tissues and do not pass with feces (Miyazaki, 1991). Therefore, the eggs found in fecal material do not correspond to those of C. he-patica or to an infected host that has been eaten and the eggs passed with feces. However, Capillaria sp. eggs in abundance points to human infection by a Capillaria species with eggs morphologically similar to those of C. hepatica, but of intestinal (as C. puttori or C. philippinensis) or respiratory localization (as C. aerophila).

Few Metastrongylus sp. or Physaloptera sp. eggs were found, probably originating from infected host consumption (Reinhard, 1990). Two different operculated eggs were found. There are many species to which operculated eggs may correspond (Benbrook & Sloss, 1965; Sianto et al., 2005). Measurements and abopercular knob suggest Paragonimus sp. or Alaria sp. Regarding the Trichuris egg, it is impossi-ble to assert a diagnosis, as it does not correspond to the species parasitizing humans. However, it may have resulted from the ingestion of an infected animal, as it was the case of the Eimeria sp. oocysts found, probably E. macusaniensis, a camelid parasite (Guerrero, 1967; Guerrero et al., 1971).

Parasitism by Capillaria sp. and H. nana may reveal information on other cultural and ecological as-pects, as soon as more data are available. Possible pseudo-parasitism by Eimeria sp., by roundworms (Metastrongylus sp. or Physaloptera sp.), and by whipworm can also provide information about diet, as per the consumption of camelids and rodents. The presence of fecal material inside the cave should have exposed humans to the transmission of zoonoses. Helminth infections reported in the present paper are mainly transmitted by fecal contamination with parasites with direct cycles. Acknowledgments

The authors thank Carlos Aschero (UNT) and María Teresa Civalero (INAPL) for allowing the authors to study the archaeological material. Supported by: PICT 2003: 4-13889, CAPES/SECyT BR/PA-05/HIV/017-002/05 and PICTO 04-849. Footnote: 1 Calibrated date: 8,393-9,091 years B.P. (99.84%) (Reimer et al. 2004). References: Araújo A, Ferreira LF, Confalonieri U, and Chame, M. 1998. Hookworm and the peopling of America.

Cadernos do Saúde Pública 2: 226-233. Benbrook EA and Sloss MW. 1965. Parasitología Clínica Veterinaria. Mexico City: Cía. Editorial

Continental. Callen EO and Cameron TWM. 1960. A prehistoric diet revealed in coprolites. New Scientist 8: 35-40. Chame M. 2003. Terrestrial mammal feces: a morphometric summary and description. Memorias do

Instituto Oswaldo Cruz 98: 71-94. Chehebar C and Martín S. 1989. Guía para el reconocimiento microscópico de los pelos de los

mamíferos de la Patagonia. Doñana, Acta Vertebrata 16: 247-291. Civalero MT and Aschero C. 2003. Early occupations at Cerro Casa de Piedra 7, Santa Cruz Province,

Patagonia, Argentina. In: Where the South Winds Blow (ed. Miotti, L., Salemme, M. & Flegenheimer, N.), pp. 141-147. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press. Civalero, MT and Franco, NV. 2003. Early human occupations in Western Santa Cruz Province, South-

ernmost South America. Quaternary International 109-110: 77-86.


Cornejo Farfán, A and Jimenez Milón P. 2001. Dieta del zorro andino Pseudalopex culpaeus (Canidae)

en el matorral desértico del sur de Perú. Revista de Ecología Latinoamericana 8: 1-9. D’Antoni, HL. 1974. Análisis polínico de los coprolitos humanos de Pampa Grande (Salta, R.A.). Actas

III Congreso Nacional de Arqueología: 1-16. Figuerero Torres, MJ. 1986. Biological and archaeological information in coprolites from an early site in

Patagonia. Current Research in the Pleistocene 3: 74-75. Figuerero Torres, MJ, Laza J, Cicchino A, and Bond M. 1982. Los coprolitos como indicadores

paleoambientales en arqueología. Actas I Reunión Nacional de Ciencias del Hombre en Zonas Áridas, Mendoza: pp. 1-8.

Fugassa MH and Guichón RA. 2005. Análisis paleoparasitológico de coprolitos hallados en sitios arqueológicos de Patagonia Austral: definiciones y perspectivas. Magallania 33: 13-19.

Fugassa, MH, Denegri GM, Sardella, NH, Araújo A, Guichón RA, Martinez PA, Civalero MT, and Aschero C. 2006. Paleoparasitological records in canid coprolite from Patagonia, Argentina. Journal of Parasitology, in press.

Gonçalves, MLC, Araújo A, and Ferreira, LF. 2003. Human intestinal parasites in the past: new finding and a review. Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz 98: 103-118.

Guerrero CA. 1967. Coccidia (Protozoa: Eimeriidae) of the alpaca Lama pacos. Journal of Protozoology 14: 613-616.

Guerrero CA, Hernández J, Bazalar H and Alva J. 1971. Eimeria macusaniensis n. sp. (Protozoa: Eimeriidae) of the alpaca Lama pacos. Journal of Protozoology 18:162-163.

Jouy-Avantin F. 2003. A standardized method for the description and study of coprolites. Journal of Archaeological Science 30: 367-372.

Lutz A. 1919. Schistosoma mansoni e a schistosomatose segundo observacoes feitas no Brasil. Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz 11: 121-155.

Miyazaki, I. 1991. An Illustrated Book of Helminthic Zoonoses. Tokyo: International Medical Founda-tion of Japan.

Olrog, CC and Lucero N. 1981. Guía de los Mamíferos Argentinos. Fundación Manuel Lillio, Tucumán, p. 33.

Pigafetta, A. 2001. Primer viaje alrededor del mundo. Buenos Aires: Ed. El Elefante Blanco. Reimer, PJ, Baillie MGL, Bard E, Bayllis A, Beck JW, Bertrand C, Blackwell PG, Buck CE., Burr G,

Cutler KB, Damon PE, Edwards RL, Fairkanks RG, Friedrich M, Guilderson TP, Hughen KA, Kromer B, McCormac FG, Manning S, Bronk Ramsey C, Reimer RW, Remmele S, Southon JR, Stuiver M, Talamo S, Taylor SW, Van Der Plicht J, and Weyhenmeyer CE. 2004. IntCal04 terrestrial radiocarbon age calibration, 0-26 ka BP. Radiocarbon 46: 1029-1058.

Reinhard K. 1990. Archaeoparasitology in North America. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 77: 355-366.

Reinhard K, Fink TM and Skiles J. 2003. A case of megacolon in Rio Grande Valley as a possible case of Chagas disease. Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz 98: 165-172.

Rhode D. 2003. Coprolites from Hidden Cave, revisited: evidence for site occupation history, diet and sex of occupants. Journal of Archaeological Science 30: 909-912.

Sianto, L, Rinhard K, Chame M, Chaves S, Mendonça S, Gonçalves MLC, Fernandes A, Ferreira LF, and Araújo A. 2005. The finding of Echinostoma (Trematoda: Digenea) and hookworm eggs in coprolites collected from a Brazilian mummified body dated 600–1,200 years before present. Jour-nal of Parasitology 91: 972-975.

Thienpont D, Rochette F, and Vanparijs OFJ. 1979. Diagnóstico de las helmintiosis por medio del examen coproparasitológico. Brussels, Belgium: Janssen Research Foundation.

Zimmerman MR and Morila RE. 1983. Enterobiasis in pre-Columbian America. Paleopathology Newsletter 42: 8.


Figure 1. (A) Geographic localization of archaeological site Cerro Casa de Piedra 7.

(B) Operculated egg of trematode (below, left)

(C) Egg of Hymenolepis nana (left)

(D) Egg of Trichuris sp. (left) (E) Oocyst of Eimeria sp. (right)

(F) Egg attributable to Metastrongylus sp. or Physaloptera sp. Barr = 20 µm. (right)

Figure 2. (A) Egg of Capillaria sp. (below)

(B) Argentina and southern Chile (left)

A

B

C

D

E

F


ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY Editor: Patrick D. Horne Contributors: Patrick D. Horne (PDH), Anastasia Tsaliki (AT) PIOMBINO-MASCALI D., BARTOLI F., MALLEGNI F., FORNACIARI G. 2006. I trapanati preistorici di Saint-Martin-de-Corlèans (2300-1900 a.C.). In "Preistoria dell'Italia settentrionale. Studi in ricordo di Bernardino Bagolini", Atti del Convegno, Udine settembre 2005 (a cura di A. Pessina e P. Visentini). Edizioni del Museo Friulano di Storia Naturale, Udine: pp. 555-562. (The trepanned prehis-toric individuals of Saint-Martin-de-Corlèans (2300-1900 BC) In "Prehistory of Northern Italy. Studies in rememberance of Bernardino Bagolini." Proceedings of the Conference, Udine 2005 (edited by A. Pessina and P. Visentini), pp. 555-562. Megalithic monuments are located at the western outskirts of Aosta (northwest Italy), next to the old church of Saint-Martin-de-Corléans. Excavations headed by F. Mezzena between 1969 and 1990 re-vealed a funerary and cult area used throughout the 3rd Millennium BC. Five phases of use could be identified and eight tombs, built between 2300-2000 BC, were found. The complex culture of this human group included sacred ploughing of the area, "seeding" with human teeth, and the erection and demolition of anthropomorphic stelae. The ongoing bioanthropological investigation has concentrated so far on a set of skeletons from Tomb II. Trepanation was observed on three out of the fifteen skulls exam-ined and two of the trepanned individuals showed clear evidence of healing. Due to the lack of evidence for cranial trauma, the authors felt that a ritual function might be implied. However, this must remain speculative until research on this population is concluded. (PDH) ROBERTS A, BOURBOU C, LAGIA A, TRIANTAFYLLOU S and TSALIKI A. 2005. Health and disease in Greece: past, present and future. In H. King (ed.): Health in Antiquity. 292 pp, illustrated, ISBN 0-415-22065-3. London and New York: Routledge; pp. 32-58. This paper discusses the study of health and disease in past Greek societies with special reference to the work of the late J. Lawrence Angel, who has made detailed studies of human skeletal material in Greece. More recent research in health and disease in the Greek past is also considered, with identification of problems in the study of skeletal evidence and suggestions for future progress in bioarchaeological and palaeopathological studies in this country. (AT) TSALIKI A. 2005. Ancient human skeletal remains from Sifnos: an overview. Proceedings of the 2nd International Sifnean Symposium, Sifnos, June 27-30 2002. In memoriam Nikolaos Vernicos-Eugenides. Vol. I. Antiquity. 374 pp. illustrated, ISDN 960-337-058-4. Athens: Society for Sifnean Studies; pp. 139-154. This paper is the first palaeopathological study published of human skeletal material excavated from the Aegean Greek island of Sifnos. An overview of the known ancient cemeteries and burials from Sifnos is presented, and bone excavation, recovery and storage problems are identified. A detailed osteological and palaeopathological analysis of skeletal material excavated by the National Archaeological Service follows, from three different sites: Apollonia, Myloi, and Akrotiraki. (AT)


DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS Editor: Bethel Nagy Contributor: Mary Lucas Powell (MLP) This nineteenth annual supplement to the listing of paleopathology-related doctoral dissertations covers thirteen English-language theses from the United States, Canada, and England and two Portuguese-language theses from Portugal. The Editor’s summaries are based on the complete abstracts provided by the authors. The US and Canadian theses are available through University Microfilms Dissertation Ab-stracts International (DAI) dated after January 2005; email addresses are provided for the British and Portuguese authors. Information on ordering hard copies or down-loading PDF versions of DAI theses is available from ProQuest Information and Learning at http://il.proquest.com/brand/umi.shtml/. 1. Bartelink, Eric J. 2006. Resource intensification in pre-contact central California: A bioarchae-ological perspective on diet and health patterns among hunter-gatherers from the lower Sacramento Val-ley and San Francisco Bay. Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA. 405 pp. ISBN: 9780542716607. Abstract: DAI-A 67/06, December 2006. Previous archaeological research in central California led to conflicting hypotheses - one that health status had improved prehistorically, another that health status had declined. This dissertation attempted to resolve the conflict by directly investigating evidence of health and nutrition in prehistoric central California skeletal remains. Health status was evaluated on the basis of tibial periosteal reactive bone deposition, porotic hyperostosis, enamel hypoplasia, dental caries, and antemortem tooth loss. In mate-rial from the Sacramento Valley, a significant increase in the frequency of many indicators over time supports the hypothesis of declining health. While individuals from the San Francisco Bay area overall had a higher frequency of stress indicators, there is no indication of a significant change over time in that group. 2. Gill-Robinson, Heather C. 2005. The Iron Age bog bodies of the Archaeologisches Landesmu-seum, Schloss Gottorf, Schleswig, Germany. University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. 448 pp. ISBN: 9780494122594. Abstract: DAI-A 67/02, August 2006. This dissertation provides a complete assessment of the remains of seven Iron Age individuals found preserved in peat bogs, now housed at the Archaeologisches Landesmuseum in Germany. Each body was assessed using information from multiple sources including archival material, gross anatomical analysis, digital radiography, multi-slice computed tomography, detailed image analysis with both vir-tual and physical three-dimensional reconstructions, and both trace element and stable isotope analyses. These analyses provided information regarding methodological issues of preservation and analysis, as well as archaeological interpretations of the individuals and their cultural context.

3. Groves, Sarah. 2006. Spears or Ploughshares: Multiple indicators of Activity Related Stress and Social Status in Four Early Medieval Populations from the North East of England. 438 pp. University of Durham, England. This study uses skeletal morphological indicators of physical activity such as musculoskeletal stress markers (MSM), enthesopathies, and asymmetry, as well as the potentially activity-related pathologies osteoarthritis and Schmorl’s nodes, to investigate the relationship between habitual activity patterns dur-ing life and the social status at death as indicated by mortuary treatment. The population studied comes from four early Medieval cemetery samples, which are archaeologically well documented. The results


suggest that there may have been relationship between both the level and type of activities in which an individual was involved and their social status. 4. Hamilton, Laurel A. 2005. Cut marks as evidence of Precolumbian human sacrifice and postmortem bone modification on the north coast of Peru. Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. 608 pp. ISBN: 978054608858. Abstract: DAI-A 67/03, p.993, September 2006. The author of this dissertation used both macroscopic and microscopic techniques to evaluate cut marks found on the remains of individuals presumed to be victims of human sacrifice. These remains were recovered from three Moche culture sites from the north coast of Peru. In addition, comparative samples were drawn from a mass burial site, butchered faunal remains, and material from a modern forensic case. Cut marks were recorded and analyzed using drawings, photographs, casts, thin sections, light micro-scope, scanning electron microscope, and a micro X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. The results of these analyses are consistent with activities including facial and genital mutilation, slitting of the throat, opening of the chest cavity, decapitation, dismemberment, and defleshing. This supports the argument that Moche artwork depicting torture, sacrifice, and mutilation reflect actual practices. However, the patterning of cut marks and breakage do not support the suggestion that ritual cannibalism played a role in Moche sacrifice ritual. 5. Iezzi, Carina A. 2005. Regional differences in the health status of late Bronze Age Mycenaean populations from East Lokris, Greece. State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA. 449 pp. ISBN: 9780542277184. Abstract: DAI-A 66/08, p.2987, February 2006. This study examined variables associated with health status in a Late Helladic III Mycenaean population from central Greece. The results indicate that many factors appear to have influenced health in that re-gion. Groups living inland with a more mixed economy and rugged environment had overall poorer health, and there is evidence that they practiced a sexual division of labor. While agricultural groups along the coast had overall better health, there is greater evidence that social status distinctions affected both behavior and health status. 6. Lieverse, Angela R. 2005. Bioarchaeology of the Cis-Baikal: Biological indicators of mid-Holocene hunter-gatherer adaptation and cultural change. Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA. 239 pp. Abstract: DAI-A 66/09, March 2006. Possible cultural changes through time in the Cis-Baikal region of Siberia were investigated, using enamel hypoplasia, osteoarthritis, and general paleopathology as indicators of overall stress and health levels. The author found that earlier groups had higher frequencies of skeletal and dental changes asso-ciated with greater stress, possibly associated with fluctuations in resource availability. However, over-all indicators of mobility, health status, and behavioral characteristics remained relatively stable over time, suggesting a general pattern of cultural continuity. 7. Muller, Jennifer L. 2006. Trauma as a biological consequence of inequality: A biocultural analysis of the skeletal remains of Washington D.C.’s African American poor. State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA. 196 pp. ISBN: 9780542777455. Abstract: DAI-A 67/07, January 2007. In contrast to most paleopathological research investigating prehistoric remains, this dissertation deals with an historically documented population - African-Americans who had lived in Washington D.C. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The author specifically analyzed frequency and location of skeletal trauma in order to investigate the physical hardships endured by individuals who faced both social and


economic discrimination. The results indicate that both men and women suffered from high rates of fractures. Many of these fractures can be attributed to accidental trauma, probably as the result of work- related injuries. The pattern and frequency of cranial and facial fracture, on the other hand, suggest in-terpersonal violence was also a factor in their lives. 8. Perez, Ventura R. 2006. The politicization of the dead: An analysis of cutmark morphology and culturally modified human remains from La Plata and Penasco Blanco (A.D. 900-1300). University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA. 278 pp. ISBN: 9780542630644. Abstract: DAI-A 67/04, October 2006. This dissertation addresses questions raised by archaeologists and bioarchaeologists regarding the nature of the prehistoric cultural behavior which resulted in unusual patterns of human bone modification seen in the American Southwest. Information from archaeology as well as osteology and bioarchaeology was used as part of a comprehensive analysis of skeletal remains from three Ancestral Pueblo sites in La Plata and Chaco Canyon. Marks on the material were identified as either abiotic or biotic, and those determined to result from violence were interpreted within a cultural context. As a result of this inter-pretation, the author proposes an alternative hypothesis explaining the nature of the violence seen in the remains. 9. Piehl, Jennifer C. 2006. Performing identity in an ancient Maya city: The archaeology of houses, health and social differentiation at the site of Baking Pot, Belize. Tulane University, New Orleans, Lou-isiana, USA. 1093 pp. ISBN: 9780542610769. Abstract: DAI-A 67/03, p.985, September 2006. In this project, information about health and diet was used along with archaeological data from architec-ture and other material culture remains to examine the relationship between social identity and socioeco-nomic status in a prehistoric Maya community. The author found that health and diet do not appear to have significantly varied among individuals and households which can be clearly differentiated by so-cioeconomic variables. 10. Shuler, Kristrina A. 2005. Health, history, and sugar: A bioarchaeological study of enslaved Afri-cans from Newton Plantation, Barbados, West Indies. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, USA. 378 pp. ISBN: 9780542507755. Abstract: DAI-A 67/01, July 2006. This dissertation presents the results of a thorough examination of the skeletal remains of 49 individuals excavated from what had been a slave cemetery on a sugar plantation in Barbados. In addition to demo-graphic information on age at death, the author collected osteological and paleopathological data such as stature, dental pathology, evidence of growth arrest, porotic hyperostosis, and evidence of trauma and chronic infection. The results support historical expectations of shortened life expectancy, high rates of generalized stress, and poor nutrition among the enslaved population. 11. Solano, Martin C. 2006. The life stresses of poverty: Skeletal and historical indicators of activity patterns in the Albany County Almshouse skeletal collection, 1825-1925. State University of New York, Albany, New York, USA. 264 pp. ISBN: 9780542740930. Abstract: DAI-A 67/06, December 2006. In this study, the author examined skeletal indicators of activity and occupational stress in skeletal re-mains of individuals who had been buried in a cemetery associated with the Albany County (New York) Almshouse. In addition to mechanical stress indicators such as skeletal robusticity, muscle markings, and enthesopathies, pathological conditions possibly associated with behavior such as trauma and os


teoarthritis were assessed. Not surprisingly, “the overall pattern of skeletal characteristics indicates rela-tively high levels of mechanical stress”. Both males and females appear to have engaged in physically demanding activities, although the patterning of skeletal indicators suggest a sexual division of labor was present. 12. Umbelino, Claudia. 2006. Outros sabores do passado: as análises de oligoelementos e de isótopos estáveis na reconstituição da dieta das comunidades humanas do Mesolítico final e do Neolítico final/Calcolítico do território português. [Other flavours from the past: the analysis of trace elements and isotopes for the reconstruction of diet in human communities of the Late Mesolithic and Late Neolithic/Chalcolithic in Portugal.] Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal. 366 pp. + 30 plates. (email: [email protected]) This study characterizes the diet of Portuguese hunter-gatherers-fishers and agro-pastoral communities of the Late Mesolithic and Late Neolithic/Chalcolithic through chemical analysis of trace elements and carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes. Samples from shell middens at Muge (Cabeço da Amoreira, Cabeço da Arruda and Moita do Sebastião) and Sado (Arapouco, Cabeço das Amoreiras, Cabeço do Pez, Poças de S. Bento and Vale de Romeiras) dated 7500-5500 BP were analysed, as well as samples from six Late Neolithic/Chalcolithic sites: Abrigo da Carrasca, Eira Pedrinha, Gruta dos Alqueves, Hipogeu de S. Paulo, Pai Mogo I and Tholos Cabeço da Arruda, dated 4780-3800 BP. Concentrations of trace elements Ca, Sr, Zn, Ba, Mg, Mn and V, Sr/Ca, Zn/Ca, Ba/Ca, Mg/Ca ratios, and observed ratios of Sr (ORSr) and Ba (ORBa) in 200 samples (186 human and 14 animal) were analysed by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). Marked contemporaneous and diachronic differences in diet were evident: marine foods were more prominent at the Muge shell middens (50%) than at Sado (30%), while the Late Neolithic/Chalcolithic agro-pastoral societies showed more homogeneity since they primarily relied on terrestrial foods. The herding of livestock was important only in the later inner population groups (Abrigo da Carrasca and Gruta dos Alqueves) while cereal and leguminous crops were the main staples with minor contributions from marine foods. (MLP) 13. Wasterlain, Sofia. 2006. ‘Males’ da Boca, Estudo da patologia oral numa amostra das Colecções Osteológicas Identificadas do Museu Antropológico da Universidade de Coimbra (finais do séc. XIX/inícios do séc. XX). [‘Evils’ in the mouth, a study of oral pathology in a sample from the Identified Skeletal Collections of the Museum of Anthropology at the University of Coimbra (late 19th Century/early 20th Century)] Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal. 331 pp. (email: [email protected]) This dissertation analyses dental caries, periodontal disease, periapical inflammation, ante-mortem tooth loss, and dental wear in a Portuguese skeletal sample from the Identified Skeletal Collections of the Mu-seum of Anthropology of University of Coimbra. The purpose was to record the pattern and distribution of oral diseases and thereby establish a baseline for quantitative comparisons, to interpret the results in terms of the biological, socioeconomic and behavioural conditions prevailing at that time, and to investi-gate the epidemiology of oral diseases in the absence of dental treatment. This sample was characterized by relatively slight occlusal and approximal attrition levels and extremely high frequencies of dental car-ies and ante mortem tooth loss. Destructive periodontitis was observed early in adulthood, rising steadily with age. With respect to periapical inflammation, most bony cavities were probably periapical granulo-mas or apical periodontal cysts, which are usually benign and asymptomatic. The frequency and pattern of oral diseases are interpreted to be the result of a soft diet, rich in maize, coupled with a deficient oral hygiene and a limited access to professional dental care. (MLP) 14.Wedel, Vicki L. 2006. Patterns of bone remodeling among enslaved and freed historical African Americans. University of California, Santa Cruz, California, USA. 105 pp. ISBN: 9780542706134.


Abstract: DAI-A 67/05, November 2006. This dissertation tests the question of whether emancipation increased or decreased the quality of life for former slaves. The author compared evidence of health and nutritional status in the skeletal remains of former slaves to that seen in remains of freedmen. Health status was assessed based on bone tissue quantity and quality as determined through histology and microradiography. The results indicate that the freedmen had a lower bone mass and reduced overall health compared to the earlier slave sample, supporting the suggestion that emancipation adversely affected the health of nineteenth century African-Americans. 15. Wentz, Rachel K. 2006. A bioarchaeological assessment of health from Florida’s Archaic: Appli-cation of the Western Hemisphere Health Index to the remains from Windover (8BR246). The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA. 138 pp. ISBN: 9780542660979. Abstract: DAI-A 67/04, October 2006. The health status of a collection of 168 individuals excavated from the pre-agricultural site of Windover, Florida, was compared to populations included in the Western Hemisphere Health Index (Steckel and Rose, 2002). The results suggest that the Windover group suffered from higher than expected levels of trauma, anemia, and hypoplastic defects. The author considers the possibility that this result may reflect methodology to some extent. However, she also proposes that the Windover group may represent a time period of incipient sedentism, “with the associated health costs inherent to larger, stationary populations”.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING MEETINGS

2nd International Colloquium on Pathography, Loches, France, 6/8 April 2007 The 1st International Colloquium of Pathography in 2005 defined this new discipline as ‘the medical study of the skeletal or mummified remains of historic personages from the perspectives of history, archaeology, and medicine’. The 2nd Colloquium will include presentations by historians, philologists, anthropologists, archaeologists, and paleopathologists on numerous identified individuals from medieval to recent eras, including (among others) Agnès Sorel, Foulque Nerra (whose remains were recently exhumed and examined at the Abbey of Beaulieu-lès-Loches), Cardinal Mazarin, the statesman Mirabeau, the Napoleonic era surgeon Baron Larrey (1766-1842), Ludwig Beethoven, two of Abraham Lincoln’s assassins (John Wilkes Booth and Lewis Thornton Powell), and a fragment of the presumed remains of Jeanne d’Arc, as well as discussions of historic methods of autopsy and embalming and other relevant topics. The scientific sessions of the Colloquium will be held at the Centre de Conférence du Moulin des Cordeliers in Loches. For more information, contact the Director of the Scientific Commit-tee, Philippe Charlier (ph [email protected]; [email protected]).

PAMinSA II in Santiago, Chile, November 14-16, 2007

The 2nd Biennial Meeting of the Paleopathology Association in South America (PAMinSA II) will be held in Santiago, Chile, on November 14-16, 2007, at the University of Santiago. Persons interested in organizing symposia or thematic sessions, or in presenting individual podium papers or posters, should contact the Meeting Organizer, Dr. Mario M. Castro, Program of Anatomy & Developmental Biology, Department of Anatomy, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile (email: [email protected]; [email protected]; telephone (56 2) 735 2986 Ext. 210).


The Guide to Contributors will appear only once each year, in the March issue.

Please send materials for inclusion in the next Newsletter to: Mary Lucas Powell, 1660 Traveller Road, Lexington KY 40504 USA

Email: [email protected] ISSN: 01484737 DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE: May 1, 2007 The Paleopathology Newsletter is issued quarterly by the Paleopathology Association, 1660 Traveller Road, Lex-ington, KY 40504, USA, to members of the Paleopathology Association. Periodicals Postage Paid at Lexington, KY. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Paleopathology Newsletter, 1660 Traveller Road, Lexington, KY 40504, USA. The membership fee for 2005 is $30.00 ($20.00 for fulltime students). Checks should be made payable to the Pa-leopathology Association and sent to Dr. Ann L.W. Stodder (Attn: PPA), Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA.

GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTORS TO PALEOPATHOLOGY NEWSLETTER Manuscript Style All manuscripts must be written in English. The preferred font is Times New Roman, 12 point. Please include the complete title of the article, the complete names of all authors, and the insti-tutional affiliations of all authors at the top of the first page. References Each reference should be cited at the appropriate point in the text, with the author(s)’ name(s) and the date of publication. If there are more than two authors in a single reference, the citation should include the first author’s surname, followed by “et al.”. If multiple references are cited at the same point, the references should appear in alphabetical order by the authors’ surnames. For example: (Cameron et al. 1999, Ortner 1981, Schell and Musher 1983). Each ref-erence listed at the end of the article must be complete and accurate (including page numbers of journal articles). Online references should include date of access. References should include the author(s)’s surname(s) and initials; the date of publication; the title of the book or journal article (in italics); the title, volume number and pages of the journal (if appropriate); the city of publication and the publisher. Examples: Cole, W. G. 1960. Sex and Love in the Bible. London: Hodder and Stroughton. Silva M, Santos A. 1990. Brucelose: problemas diagnósticos e terapêuticos. O Medico 123: 585-588. Illustrations Please submit either (a) black-and-white photographic prints or (b) electronic files in the TIFF or JPEG format. For electronic files, the images must be scanned or objects photographed at 600 d.p.i (minimum resolution), to produce a good clear image at the size to be printed in the Newsletter. Images scanned at low resolutions are not suitable for printed publications, and cannot be used. Photographs will be returned to contributors upon request.

GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTORS TO PALEOPATHOLOGY NEWSLETTER Manuscript Style All manuscripts must be written in English. The preferred font is Times New Roman, 12 point. Please include the complete title of the article, the complete names of all authors, and the insti-tutional affiliations of all authors at the top of the first page. References Each reference should be cited at the appropriate point in the text, with the author(s)’ name(s) and the date of publication. If there are more than two authors in a single reference, the citation should include the first author’s surname, followed by “et al.”. If multiple references are cited at the same point, the references should appear in alphabetical order by the authors’ surnames. For example: (Cameron et al. 1999, Ortner 1981, Schell and Musher 1983). Each ref-erence listed at the end of the article must be complete and accurate (including page numbers of journal articles). Online references should include date of access. References should include the author(s)’s surname(s) and initials; the date of publication; the title of the book or journal article (in italics); the title, volume number and pages of the journal (if appropriate); the city of publication and the publisher. Examples: Cole, W. G. 1960. Sex and Love in the Bible. London: Hodder and Stroughton. Silva M, Santos A. 1990. Brucelose: problemas diagnósticos e terapêuticos. O Medico 123: 585-588. Illustrations Please submit either (a) black-and-white photographic prints or (b) electronic files in the TIFF or JPEG format. For electronic files, the images must be scanned or objects photographed at 600 d.p.i (minimum resolution), to produce a good clear image at the size to be printed in the Newsletter. Images scanned at low resolutions are not suitable for printed publications, and cannot be used. Photographs will be returned to contributors upon request.

Fugassa et al. 2007 Paleopathol. Newsletter

Documents

Transcript of Fugassa et al. 2007 Paleopathol. Newsletter