A Possible Case of Hydrocephalus in a Medieval Child from Doonbought Fort, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland

Hydrocephalus is a condition that is rarely found in the palaeopathological record. It has been demonstrated in a modern study of untreated cases of hydrocephalus that 50 per cent of children suffering from the disease die within the first 18 months of life. It is probable that the situation was the same in archaeological populations and that the delicate nature of neonatal and infant crania accounts for the paucity of palaeopathological evidence. As far as the author is aware there are approximately 30 possible cases of hydrocephalus known in the archaeological record throughout the world and only two of these cases originated in the British Isles. The following report presents evidence of a case of possible hydrocephalus in a 6–7-year-old juvenile from Northern Ireland. The skeleton was recovered from a post-thirteenth century context during excavations at the secular medieval fort of Doonbought, Co. Antrim. The diagnosis of hydrocephalus has been made on the basis of the abnormal and enlarged morphology and increased cranial capacity of the cranium. The only other palaeopathological lesion present in the remains was cribra orbitalia

Archaeology · Context (archaeology · Crania · Geography · Hydrocephalus · Autopsy Techniques and Outcomes · Child Abuse and Related Trauma · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Medicine · History · Surgery

• A case of hydrocephalus in a child from early modern period Žumberak, Croatia

  Open Access•Ž Bedić, Željka Bedić et al.•International Journal of…•2019

  Añadir item

• Ancient Down syndrome

  Open Access•M Rivollat, Dominique Castex et al.•International Journal of…•2014

  Añadir item

• Human osteoarchaeology in Ireland

  Open Access•E Murphy, Eileen M Murphy•Antiquity•2002

  Añadir item

• Diseases in Antiquity

  M A Macconaill, Don Brothwell et al.•Man•1968

  Añadir item