Palaeopathology and historical personality of General Johann Sporck (1595–1679)

A reconstruction of the tomb of the noble family of Swéerts-Sporck provided an opportunity for a comparison of the physical remains of these individuals with the written records relating to their lives. The site is located at Kuks in the district of Pardubice. The skeletal remains of General Johann Sporck were chosen for study due to an abundance of information in archives and local legends pertaining to his life, particularly the injuries he sustained during numerous battles. Johann Sporck, who originally was a farmer, became a soldier and was then promoted to the rank of General due to his military prowess during the Thirty Years War. His skeleton clearly indicated his life style and the injuries inflicted upon him. Hyperostotic spondylosis of the Forestiers’ type, bilateral ankylosing of the sacroiliac joint and a high number of enthesopathies (D.I.S.H.) were all apparent on his skeleton, probably due in part to the excessive physical load required of him from his life style. Evidence of trauma, deformities of the facial and the right forearm bones also correlate with injuries mentioned in the chronicles that General Sporck sustained during battles. A lead splinter was also detected in the lower mandible, which was apparently caused by a gunshot wound. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Ancient history · Archaeology · Gunshot wound · Paleopathology · Style (visual arts · Medicine · Musculoskeletal Disorders and Rehabilitation · Osteomyelitis and Bone Disorders Research · Spondyloarthritis Studies and Treatments · History · Surgery