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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1977

Mummies that I have known. A pediatrician's venture in the field of paleopathology.

We describe the activities of a pediatrician in the field of medical archeology. Having pioneered the use of electron microscopy in the examination of Egyptian mummified tissue, we also describe some of the exciting pathological findings from various autopsies of ancient Egyptian mummies. These findings give us a glimpse of disease and death in ancient Egypt and of the evolution of these diseases as they affect man today.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Paleopathologic evidence for the evolution of rheumatoid arthritis.

A human skeleton recovered from a Sicilian archaeological site and dating from the Hellenistic period (330-210 B.C.) presents a pathological pattern suggesting a transition between ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis, providing evidence in support of the hypothesis that rheumatoid arthritis may have recently evolved out of ankylosing spondylitis.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed2025

Leprosy in skeletons from archaeological sites: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Leprosy (Hansen's disease) is an ancient stigmatising infectious disease that remains endemic in many countries. Leprosy-related bone changes that cause disabilities in affected persons are evident in skeletons from archaeological sites. The aim of our synthesis of paleopathological data was to gain insights into the disease's historical distribution and presentation. METHODOLOGY: Systematic review of paleopathological studies describing human remains with signs of leprosy published up to December 2023. Extracted data on bone features from skulls and limbs, including rhinomaxillary syndrome (RMS) in cranial bones and post-cranial bone changes (PCBC) in hands and feet, were summarised, together with genomic data from studies of Mycobacterium leprae ancient DNA. FINDINGS: The 297 skeletons described in 67 studies comprised 264 skeletons from sites in modern-day Europe (117 from England, 68 from Denmark); 23 skeletons from Asia (10 from India), 5 from The Americas, and 4 from the African continent (all from Egypt); 174 (58.6%) were from leprosaria, 255 (85.9%) were adults, 28 (9.4%) adolescent, 14 (4.7%) of indeterminate age. Skeletons dated from 3715 BCE to 1839 CE, peaking around the 15th Century. Probable and possible RMS were identified in 85 (30.5%) and 153 (54.8%) of 279 skeletons with cranial data, respectively. Lower limb pathological PCBC were most prevalent in tarsals (76.6%), metatarsals (81.5%), and feet phalanges (85.6%). In upper limbs, 75.8% of humeri, 65.8% of radii, 61.0% of ulnae and 75.8% of hand phalanges exhibited pathological alterations. From 73 skeletons from 19 genomic studies, M. leprae single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) type 3 was identified in 59 skeletons (80.8%), SNP type 2 in 11 (15.1%), type 4 in two, and type 1 in one. CONCLUSIONS: Four out of five archaeological skeletons with leprosy exhibited some degree of RMS, which is pathognomonic of the most severe form of the disease, irrespective of whether the skeleton was excavated from a leprosarium (leprosy hospital) or from a public cemetery or other burial site. The relatively small numbers of remains excavated over a wide geographical area and a long time period, and the focus of archaeological studies on skeletons already identified as having leprosy, mean that it is difficult to prove or disprove theories that aim to explain the decline and eventual disappearance of leprosy as a disease in Europe.

Humans↗
PubMed1979

Computed tomography of ancient Egyptian mummies.

This first report of the application of computed tomography (CT) to the study of ancient mummies, the desiccated brain of a boy and the body of a young woman within her cartonnage, shows that CT is uniquely suitable for the study of such antiquities, a study that does not necessitate destruction of the mummy or its cartonnage. Exquisite images result that are of great paleoanatomical, paleopathological, and archeological significance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Probable malignancy in a Sadlermiut Eskimo mandible.

The mandible of a Sadlermiut Eskimo woman, age at death 28 to 30 years, displays numerous well-formed formamina concentrated bilaterally around the mental foramina. Differential diagnosis identifies this lesion with highest probability as a metastatic cancerous lesion: of less likelihood are sarcoma, hyperparathyroidism, hemangioma, and osteomyelitis. The specimen deserves attention because identification of malignancy in paleopathological material is uncommon and difficult, and because malignancies in aboriginal Eskimo populations are reputed to have been rare or absent.

Female↗
PubMed1978

Histological enamel indicator of childhood stress in prehistoric skeletal samples.

Although previous paleopathological studies have used disturbances in enamel formation as indicators of childhood stress, the full potential of this technique has not been realized. This paper presents a test case which demonstrates that the frequency of disturbed enamel formation (i.e., Wilson bands) is associated with other stress indicators (i.e., probability of dying and infectious lesions) in three prehistoric skeletal samples representing the Middle Woodland (10.3%), Mississippian Acculturated Late Woodland (21.4%), and the Middle Mississippian (40.0%). Additionally, the mean ages at death of individuals with at least one Wilson band are lower than those without bands. These results suggest that Wilson bands are an indicator of the relative proportion of individuals who are high susceptibles in prehistoric populations. The data also corroborate the hypothesis that the adoption of maize agriculture in the prehistoric American Midwest is associated with increased stress.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evidence of rheumatoid arthritis in ancient India.

The scarcity of references in ancient medical literature to any disease resembling rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has led many Western rheumatologists to believe that rheumatoid arthritis is a disease of relatively recent origin. In a recent paper on this problem, Short traces the first adequate description of what was probably rheumatoid arthritis to Thomas Sydenham (1624-1689) and emphasizes that European and Greek medical literature before Sydenham's time may have confused gout and other forms of polyarthritis as manifestations of the same disease (1). Studies in human paleopathology have as yet produced no convincing evidence for the existenct of RA in ancient human remains, but Short suggested that a study of the ancient medical literature of the Eastern civilizations may provide some new information on the true antiquity of rheumatoid arthritis.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed2026

Ten millennia of purifying selection on HLA-B27 reveals an ancient epidemic-scale burden of spondyloarthritis in West Eurasia.

HLA-B27 exemplifies an evolutionary trade-off between protection against infection and susceptibility to inflammatory disease. To investigate its long-term population history, this study examined three HLA-B27-tagging variants-rs116488202, rs4349859, and rs116666910-in present-day populations from UK biobank and 1000 Genomes Project, and in 15,836 ancient West Eurasian individuals. The estimated frequency of HLA-B27 reached 49.0% approximately 8500 years before present, then declined progressively to 3.9% in the present-day reference population. Comparison with genome-wide association study (GWAS) data for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) showed that HLA-B27-linked alleles conferring increased disease risk had negative selection coefficients, indicating sustained selection against HLA-B27 over the past 10,000 years. The decline coincided with major Holocene changes in settlement and subsistence patterns, microbial exposure, and enteric infection, which may have increased the inflammatory costs of HLA-B27. Because previous paleopathological studies have largely been limited to identifying advanced skeletal manifestations of AS, this ancient genetic study may provide currently the most sensitive population-level record of an otherwise largely undetectable, epidemic-scale disease burden in antiquity. These findings support the hypothesis that HLA-B27-associated spondyloarthritis was sufficiently prevalent and severe to influence human evolution in prehistoric West Eurasia.

Humans↗
PubMed1978

Diffuse enthesopathic hyperostosis--anatomical and radiological study on a macerated skeleton.

Anatomico-radiological study of a macerated skeleton in a 43-year-old diabetic woman. An important spondylosis with hyperostosis of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar vertebrae was seen. There were associated changes of insertional hyperostosis at various levels, particularly at the iliac crests. Paget's disease of the left iliac crest was also noted in the corresponding hyperostosis. This case presentation offers an opportunity to discuss local mechanical factors (observed at the tendinous insertions) as well as generalized considerations on the "terrain" of diabetes and perhaps malnutrition. It also demonstrates the interest that an anatomico-radiological comparison on macerated specimens can have for certain osteoarticular research, teaching and paleopathology.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Age determination of an Alaskan mummy: morphological and biochemical correlation.

Aspartic acid racemization analysis of a tooth from an Alaskan mummy yielded an age at death of 53 (+/- 5) years, which correlates well with earlier estimates based on morphological features. This study illustrates the value of integrative approaches to paleopathologic problems and the importance of preserving rare specimens for the application of new techniques.

Aspartic Acid↗
PubMed1976

Histologic processing and examination of a 4,000-year-old human temporal bone.

We believe this is the first report of a mummy temporal bone successfully processed by decalcification and serial sectioning. The condition of the bone required modifications of standard processing technique. Examination of the sections revealed evidence of antemortem otitis media and mastoiditis. The technique described should prove useful in otopathological studies of other paleontological specimens.

Histological Techniques↗