Skeletal manifestations of stress in child victims of the G reat I rish F amine (1845–1852)

Prevalence of enamel hypoplasia, Harris lines, and growth retardation

Bibliographic Data

ID8320247
AuthorsJ Geber (0000-0001-6113-1950, Department of Archaeology University College Cork Cork City Republic of Ireland, corresponding author)
Year2014
Volume155
Issue1
Pages149-161
Publication date2014-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Physical Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9483 • E-ISSN: 1096-8644
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajpa.22567
PMID25043577
OpenAlexW1548112297
LanguageEN
Citations received38
References cited70

The Great Irish Famine of 1845–1852 is among the worst food crises in human history. While numerous aspects of this period have been studied by generations of scholars, relatively little attention has so far been given to the physiological impact it is likely to have had on the people who suffered and succumbed to it. This study examines the prevalence of enamel hypoplasia, Harris lines, and growth retardation in the nonadult proportion of a skeletal population comprising victims of the Famine who died in the workhouse in the city of Kilkenny between 1847 and 1851. The frequency of enamel hypoplasia in these children does not appear to have increased as a consequence of famine, although this fact is likely to be a reflection of the osteological paradox. Harris lines and growth retardation; however, were very prevalent, and the manifestation and age‐specific distribution of these may be indicators of the Famine experience. While there was no clear correlation in the occurrence of the assessed markers, the presence of cribra orbitalia displayed a significant relationship to enamel hypoplasia in 1‐ to 5‐year‐old children. While starvation, metabolic disorders and infectious diseases are likely to have greatly contributed to the manifestation of the markers, the psychosocial stress relating to institutionalization in the workhouse should not be underestimated as a substantial causative factor for skeletal stress in this population. Am J Phys Anthropol 155:149–161, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Archaeology · Enamel hypoplasia · Enamel paint · Environmental health · Famine · Hypoplasia · Population · Birth, Development, and Health · Dentistry · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · History · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Physiology · Urological Disorders and Treatments