Mortalité maternelle et périnatalité au premier millénaire à Lisieux (Calvados, France)

La fouille exhaustive d’un vaste ensemble funéraire suburbain à Lisieux (Calvados) a montré l’implantation successive de deux cimetières chronologiquement distincts et probablement sans lien entre eux. Le plus vaste a perduré pendant plus d’un siècle, du début du ive s. aux premières années du ve s. ; le second, de superficie nettement plus réduite, s’est installé sur le même site dans la seconde moitié du vie s. jusqu’au début du ixe s. Dans quatre sépultures, l’association étroite d’un squelette féminin et d’un enfant décédé en période périnatale (fœtus en place dans le bassin adulte, nouveau-né déposé au contact direct du corps maternel) suggère la probabilité de décès d’origine obstétricale. La typologie de ces tombes et leur localisation à l’intérieur de l’espace sépulcral ne les distinguaient en rien de la majorité des autres inhumations. La position respective des squelettes sur le terrain et l’examen macroscopique, microscopique et radiologique des pièces osseuses en laboratoire ont permis de reconstituer le déroulement chronologique probable de chaque événement (décès intervenus en cours de grossesse, lors de l’accouchement ou durant le post-partum), de mettre en évidence certains indices constituant des facteurs de risque pour la mère ou l’enfant, puis d’argumenter, au cas par cas, les causes obstétricales, directes ou indirectes, ayant pu conduire à cette issue fatale.The complete excavation of a large suburban necropolis in Lisieux (Calvados, France) has brought to light two chronologically distinct, apparently unconnected cemeteries. The first was in use for just over one century, from the beginning of the 4th century A.D. to the early 5th century A.D. The second cemetery, covering a smaller area on the same site, lasted from the second half of the 6th century A.D. to the beginning of the 9th century A.D. In four burials, a female adult and an immature skeleton are in direct association (foetus inside the pelvis or newborn lain on the female body) suggesting the probability of maternal deaths. The typology of these graves and their organisation within the burial ground do not distinguish them from most of the other burials. Observation of the positions of both skeletons during excavation, and macroscopic, microscopic and radiological examination of the bones in the laboratory has enabled the reconstitution of each obstetrical event (death occurring before, during or after delivery), the indication of certain maternal or foetal risks, and an argumentation, case by case, for the obstetrical causes which could have led directly or indirectly to these maternal deaths

Neonate Human Remains: A Window of Opportunity to the Molecular Study of Ancient Syphilis

Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis can be a useful tool in bacterial disease diagnosis in human remains. However, while the recovery of Mycobacterium spp. has been widely successful, several authors report unsuccessful results regarding ancient treponemal DNA, casting doubts on the usefulness of this technique for the diagnosis of ancient syphilis. Here, we present results from an analysis of four newborn specimens recovered from the crypt of “La Ermita de la Soledad” (XVI–XVII centuries), located in the province of Huelva in the southwest of Spain. We extracted and analyzed aDNA in three independent laboratories, following specific procedures generally practiced in the aDNA field, including cloning of the amplified DNA fragments and sequencing of several clones. This is the most ancient case, reported to date, from which detection of DNA from T. pallidum subspecies pallidum has been successful in more than one individual, and we put forward a hypothesis to explain this result, taking into account the course of the disease in neonate individuals