Human skeletal remains from Kimberley : an assessment of health in a 19th century mining community

In April 2003 the Sol Plaatjie Municipality disturbed several unmarked graves while digging a storm-water trench next to what is today known as the Gladstone Cemetery in Kimberley, South Africa. They are believed to date to between 1897 and 1900. All remains were excavated and housed at the McGregor museum in Kimberley where they were investigated. The purpose of this study was to analyze and interpret the health status and diseases present within this sample, and to determine whether bone lesions caused by ossified haematomas and treponemal infection can be diagnosed through histological investigations. Standard anthropometric techniques were used to determine the age and sex of the individuals. All bones were assessed for signs of trauma and pathology present on the bones, and histological bone samples were prepared according to a method described by Maat (2002). A total of 107 individuals were investigated, comprising of 86 males and 15 females. The remains were mostly those of young persons, with the majority being younger than 30 years of age. A wealth of pathology was observed with skeletal lesions indicating advanced treponemal disease, scurvy, non-spesfic osteomyelitis, several amputations, cranial fractures and osteoarthritis. A high incidence of dental caries, antemortem tooth loss and periodontal disease were also noted. The remains studied were those of migrant workers, of low socio-economic status, mainly consuming a diet consisting of refined carbohydrates lacking vitamin C. A high prevalence of degenerative changes and cranial fractures suggested participation in regular strenuous physical activities and a high incidence of interpersonal violence. The high incidence of infectious diseases was ascribed to the poor living conditions as well as limited medical care. Surgical procedures were conducted regularly as could be extrapolated from the high incidence of amputations. It was also concluded that a distinction could be made between bone reactions resulting from of haemorrhage and lesions caused by an infectious condition, on histological level. Three stages of ossified haematoma development and remodeling were described. It is hoped that this study gave some recognition to those so unceremoniously dumped in these pauper graves.Dissertation (MSc (Anatomy))--University of Pretoria, 2007.Anatomyunrestricte

Developmental instability and its relationship to mental health in two historic Dutch populations

This study aimed to assess the magnitude and patterns of fluctuating asymmetry as an indicator of developmental instability between two urban archeological Dutch populations. The sample comprised of 209 adult individuals representing the general population of Alkmaar, the Netherlands, dating to the 18th to early 19th century (Grote Kerk, n = 134), and a psychiatric hospital sample of the 19th to early 20th century (Meerenberg, n = 75). Fluctuating asymmetry was assessed from left and right measurements recorded from various traits on the cranium, mandible, and dentition. Three non-specific skeletal indicators of stress were documented to aid in the interpretation of the differences in asymmetry. No significant difference in developmental instability, as reflected by fluctuating asymmetry, was apparent between the two populations. However, individuals who presented with skeletal lesions indicative of stress were significantly more asymmetric than individuals who did not present with any of the lesions. The observed frequencies of the pathological changes and socio-economic history suggest that the two populations experienced similar levels of stress, even though the source and duration of the stress might have been different. The possibility that the mentally institutionalized are not as developmentally unstable as suggested by previous research should be considered.The National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africahttp://www.elsevier.com/locate/ijpp2018-06-30Anatom

Assessing post-traumatic time interval in human dry bone

The post-traumatic status of antemortem fractures in human dry bone remains is currently defined as being either ‘healing’ or ‘healed’. However, detailed ‘dating’ of the related post-traumatic time interval would be desirable, since it would aid in assessing individual medical status and care at the time of death. Within forensic pathology practice, fresh tissue healing phases are routinely used as an intrinsic parameter for the length of the post-traumatic time interval. Unfortunately, the direct application of such a method is hampered when applied to dry bone skeletal material. This study explores the possibility of applying a fracture dating system, drawn forth from the traditional forensic pathology method, on dry bone remains. More specifically, the aims is to establish the extent to which various histo-morphological features indicative of specific time intervals of healing are consistently detectable. Human dry bones with fractures and amputations in various phases of healing were studied. Results show that the complementary use of radiological and histological investigation techniques improves the differentiation between various healing phases and thus allow for a more detailed dating of lesions. For future use, healing features that have proven to be consistently detectable and their related post traumatic time intervals are listed. The system aids in demarcating a considerably more ”narrow” post-traumatic time interval than usual.The Leiden University Fund (LUF)/Van Trigt and the South Africa Netherlands research Programme for Alternatives in Development (SANPAD) for partial funding.http://www.interscience.wiley.com/hb2013ay201

Developmental instability and its relationship to mental health in two historic Dutch populations

This study aimed to assess the magnitude and patterns of fluctuating asymmetry as an indicator of developmental instability between two urban archeological Dutch populations. The sample comprised of 209 adult individuals representing the general population of Alkmaar, the Netherlands, dating to the 18th to early 19th century (Grote Kerk, n = 134), and a psychiatric hospital sample of the 19th to early 20th century (Meerenberg, n = 75). Fluctuating asymmetry was assessed from left and right measurements recorded from various traits on the cranium, mandible, and dentition. Three non-specific skeletal indicators of stress were documented to aid in the interpretation of the differences in asymmetry. No significant difference in developmental instability, as reflected by fluctuating asymmetry, was apparent between the two populations. However, individuals who presented with skeletal lesions indicative of stress were significantly more asymmetric than individuals who did not present with any of the lesions. The observed frequencies of the pathological changes and socio-economic history suggest that the two populations experienced similar levels of stress, even though the source and duration of the stress might have been different. The possibility that the mentally institutionalized are not as developmentally unstable as suggested by previous research should be considere

The history and health of a nineteenth-century migrant mine-worker population from Kimberley, South Africa

Trenching by the Sol Plaatje municipality in Kimberley, South Africa, accidentally intersected 145 unmarked graves outside the fenced Gladstone Cemetery in 2003. The McGregor Museum was responsible for recovering the disturbed material. This paper describes the archaeological findings and demographic composition of the human remains excavated at the site and discusses briefly the pathological changes observed in the skeletons. One hundred and seven skeletons were exhumed from 15 graves along the trench. Remains from a minimum number of 26 individuals were also rescued from another site where material dug out of the trench had been dumped. All skeletal remains were analysed using standard anthropometric techniques, and visually examined for signs of pathology and trauma. Archaeological evidence as well as palaeopathological indications suggested that the skeletal remains were most likely those of migrant mine workers who died between 1897 and 1900, with the majority of the population consisting of young male individuals (n = 77, 20–49 years of age at the time of death) of low socio-economic status. The prevalence of infectious diseases (treponemal disease (8%), non-specific osteomyelitis (1%) and tuberculosis (1%)) observed in the sample, most likely reflects the pre-antibiotic era from which these individuals came as well as the overcrowded and unhygienic living conditions to which they were exposed on a daily basis. Cranial and long bone fractures (26.2%) observed are testimony to the high levels of interpersonal violence and hazardous mining environment described in archival documents, and other pathological lesions such as myositis ossificans (8%), spondylolysis (9%), Schmörl’s nodes (31%) and enthesophytes are indicative of the physical demands associated with mining activities. These results give substance to contemporary reports on the appalling conditions and hazards to which migrant workers were exposed when selling their labour on the mines in the late 19th century

Gender-related vitamin D deficiency in a Dutch 19th century farming community

The most common cause of vitamin D deficiency is inadequate dermal exposure to sunlight. Residual rickets is nonadult vitamin D deficiency still evident in an adult individual, whereas osteomalacia occurs in adulthood. Previous research on the Beemster population, a 19th century rural community in the Netherlands, identified rickets in 30.4% of the nonadults between the ages of two and four years (n=7/23). Because the sex of these nonadults was not known it was not possible to determine if there were differences between boys and girls. To overcome this gap in our knowledge, the aim of this paper is to determine if there are gender related differences in vitamin D deficiency in the Beemster skeletal collection, based on adults with residual rickets and osteomalacia. Out of 200 adults (100 females; 100 males) no cases of osteomalacia were detected. However, there were 29 cases of residual rickets (14.5%), with 21 of those cases in females (21.0%; 21/100). A complex interplay of multiple factors is proposed to have affected vitamin D levels in nonadults, including sociocultural variables such as gender-based labour norms. This research highlights the importance of continuing to explore gender-based health differences in past populations

What lies beneath ... Late Glacial human occupation of the submerged North Sea landscape

Archaeological evidence from the submerged North Sea landscape has established the rich diversity of Pleistocene and Early Holocene ecosystems and their importance to hunter-gatherer subsistence strategies. Comparatively little of this evidence, however, dates to the Late Glacial, the period when Northern Europe was repopulated by colonising foragers. A human parietal bone and a decorated bovid metatarsus recently recovered from the floor of the North Sea have been dated to this crucial transitional period. They are set against the background of significant climatic and environmental changes and a major technological and sociocultural transformation. These discoveries also reaffirm the importance of continental shelves as archaeological archives

IJstijdjagers op de bodem van de Noordzee:Zeldzame aanwijzingen voor de Laat-glaciale menselijke bewoning van het Noordzeelandschap

In februari werd in het gerenommeerde archeologische tijdschrift Antiquity een artikel gepubliceerd over de oudste mens van Nederland en de oudste kunst uit de Noordzee (Amkreutz et al. 2018). Beide vondsten zijn meer dan 13.000 jaar oud. Ze zijn uiterst zeldzame aanwijzingen voor de herbewoning van noordelijk Europa door de moderne mens na de kou van het laatste glaciale maximum van de laatste ijstijd. Deze bijdrage is een samenvatting van het betreffende artikel