A possible juvenile hypochondroplasia case from the mass grave of Lazzaretto Nuovo Island (Venice)

Among the remains of individuals buried in the cemetery of the New Lazaretto (Venice) during the plague epidemic of 1576, a juvenile skeleton with a discrepancy between the biological age at death obtained by the diaphyseal length was recovered. Other skeletal indicators from the humerus and the shoulder girdle show a craniocaudal reduction of bone length. Associated with other morphological changes and signs, the individual is diagnosed with hypochondroplasia, a specific form of dwarfism

An anthropometric method for sex determination from the mandible: test on British Medieval skeletal collections

Sex determination is a vital part of the analysis of skeletal remains and the creation of biological profiles that aid in identification. The pelvis and skull are the regions usually employed by anthropologists and produce very good results. However, the mandible, being a very durable bone and frequently preserved has not received the attention that other skeletal elements have. There are some morphological methods for sexing the mandible, however metrics are considered to be more objective and easier to replicate. This study uses the measurements of the bimental breadth and the corpus thickness of the mandible. Univariate and multivariate analysis was carried out to create discriminant function equations. These equations can be used to sex a mandible with overall accuracy rates as high as 77.3%. The results of the present research are similar to those of other studies and indicate that mandibular metrics can be relied upon for sex determination, especially in cases where other elements are not preserved

Sexual Dimorphism of the Fovea Capitis Femoris in a Medieval Population from Gloucester, England

Attempts to develop new methods of sex determination in forensic anthropology are constantly being made by researchers in the field. This paper investigates the potential of using an index of the fovea capitis femoris shape as a method of sex determination. The currently held belief is that variation within the fovea capitis is purely idiosyncratic. The study was carried out on a sample of 19 males and 19 females from the Gloucester skeletal collection housed at Liverpool John Moores University. Measurements of the maximum fovea capitis height and breadth were taken from both the left and right femora and converted into an index. It was found that while there was no significant difference in dimensions alone, there was a significant difference in index values between males and females for both the left (t(34) = 4.294, p < 0.001) and right (t(32) = 3.046. p = 0.05) fovea capitis. This method was found to have 78.1% accuracy in determining the sex of an individual. Therefore, we may now be able to state that variation of the fovea capitis is sexuallydimorphic and not exclusively idiosyncratic as first thought

Metric Methods of Skeletal Sex Determination using the Arm Bones

Several studies have stated the importance of devising population-specific metric methods for sex determination. The long bones of the arm have been previously reported as having a high reliability. This paper explores the degree of sexual dimorphism in adult arm bones displayed in two Medieval British populations, one urban and one rural. The urban Gloucester population sample consists of 45 individuals (19 female and 26 male) and the rural Poulton sample of 27 individuals (13 female and 14 male) and were selected from collections housed at Liverpool John Moores University. Measurements of the proximal and distal epiphyses along with maximum length were used on the humerus, radius and ulna. These populations showed sexual dimorphism in every measurement taken. Discriminant function analysis found that all arm bones had very high discriminant accuracies in both populations reaching 91.2% (Gloucester radii) and 95.5% (Poulton radii). It was found that some of the values were significantly different between the populations supporting the necessity for population-specific metric standards

Metric Methods of Skeletal Sex Determination using the Arm Bones of Two British Medieval Populations

Several studies have stated the importance of devising population-specific metric methods for sex determination. The long bones of the arm have been previously reported as having a high reliability. This paper explores the degree of sexual dimorphism in adult arm bones displayed in two Medieval British populations, one urban and one rural. The urban Gloucester population sample consists of 45 individuals (19 female and 26 male) and the rural Poulton sample of 27 individuals (13 female and 14 male) and were selected from collections housed at Liverpool John Moores University. Measurements of the proximal and distal epiphyses along with maximum length were used on the humerus, radius and ulna. These populations showed sexual dimorphism in every measurement taken. Discriminant function analysis found that all arm bones had very high discriminant accuracies in both populations reaching 91.2% (Gloucester radii) and 95.5% (Poulton radii). It was found that some of the values were significantly different between the populations supporting the necessity for population-specific metric standards.

Skeletal remains from the cemetery of Lazzaretto Nuovo (Venice): a preliminary analysis

The aim of the present study is to delineate the bio-history of the population buried in Lazzaretto Nuovo, which according to current informations come from the second plague that struck the Serenissima (AD 1630). All of them are morphologically Caucasian, male with average height of 170cm, with the exception of one individual (ID 3, 180/186cm). The biological age of death is between twenty and thirty years and even though the cause of death was most likely the plague, findings of other pathological conditions have been detected. Fairly widespread but not severe pathologies of the oral cavity are present. Paleo-nutritional analysis showed a diversified diet, which allows to make inferences about different social status, while the autochthony of the buried subjects could be reflected by the peculiar development of the muscular insertions of the shoulder girdle

Sharp Force Trauma Death in a Young Individual From Medieval Gloucester.

The authors of the present work evaluate the trauma observed on the skeletal remains of an individual from medieval Gloucester and reconstruct the events that led to his death. The almost complete skeleton was recovered from the cemetery of St Owen and dates to the late medieval period. Several methods were used to determine the sex and age of the individual. The anthropological examination showed that the remains belonged to a young male, between the ages of 17 and 19 years. The young man also had antemortem pathologies that were related to his diet and lifestyle, as he appears to have had iron-deficiency anemia and Schmorl nodes. The trauma observed on the remains consisted of 3 cut marks located on the cranium, left radius, and right scapula. The cuts seem to have been inflicted by a heavy weapon, such as a sword. The trauma pattern observed is consistent with defensive action, and the fact that this skeleton was the only one in the collection that has evidence of trauma suggests that this was a case of interpersonal violence

Metric Methods of Skeletal Sex Determination using the Arm Bones of Two British Medieval Populations

Several studies have stated the importance of devising population-specific metric methods for sex determination. The long bones of the arm have been previously reported as having a high reliability. This paper explores the degree of sexual dimorphism in adult arm bones displayed in two Medieval British populations, one urban and one rural. The urban Gloucester population sample consists of 45 individuals (19 female and 26 male) and the rural Poulton sample of 27 individuals (13 female and 14 male) and were selected from collections housed at Liverpool John Moores University. Measurements of the proximal and distal epiphyses along with maximum length were used on the humerus, radius and ulna. These populations showed sexual dimorphism in every measurement taken. Discriminant function analysis found that all arm bones had very high discriminant accuracies in both populations reaching 91.2% (Gloucester radii) and 95.5% (Poulton radii). It was found that some of the values were significantly different between the populations supporting the necessity for population-specific metric standards