S Mays
Biographic Data
| ID | 5204936 |
|---|---|
| NAME | S Mays |
| GIVEN NAMES | S |
| FAMILY NAME | Mays |
| SIGNATURE | MAYS S |
| AFFILIATIONS | English Heritage |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 51 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 459 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 51 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1998 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 12 |
The use of Fisher’s exact test in contingency table analysis in palaeopathology
OBJECTIVE: The controversial nature of Fisher's exact test (FET) in contingency table analysis is well-known in most disciplines. Our purpose is to outline the major difficulties with the test that underlie debates over its use as an alternative to chi-square for sparsely populated contingency tables; to assess their implications for the use of FET in palaeopathology; and to suggest possible alternatives. METHODS: Review of FET in the statistical…
Which types of bony changes in the maxillary sinus indicate chronic sinusitis
OBJECTIVES: To determine which types of bone lesion (spicules, lobules, porous bone) in the maxillary sinus indicate sinusitis METHODS: Subadjacent dental disease is a cause of maxillary sinusitis; if a lesion type indicates sinusitis it should be more common above diseased posterior maxillary teeth than a lesion type that is not indicative of sinusitis. The study sample is a British Mediaeval human skeletal collection. RESULTS: Porous bone lesio…
Sex identification of a Late Iron Age sword and mirror cist burial from Hillside Farm, Bryher, Isles of Scilly, England
A burial dating to the 1st century BCE was found in 1999 in the Isles of Scilly, south-west England. As well as being the most richly furnished burial in the region, it has grave goods considered to have oppositional gender associations: martial items (sword, shield) plus a bronze mirror. The inability to determine sex from the poorly surviving skeletal remains, using morphological or the available genomic methods at the time of its discovery, ha…
Is dietary deficiency of calcium a factor in rickets? Use of current evidence for our understanding of the disease in the past
OBJECTIVE: Rickets is considered an indicator of vitamin D deficiency in palaeopathology, but a strand of biomedical thought maintains that dietary calcium deficiency may sometimes play a part in its causation. Our aim is to evaluate the extent to which low calcium intake should be considered as a factor in biocultural interpretations of rickets. METHODS: We assess published modern epidemiological studies that provide primary data to support clai…
The epidemiology of rickets in the 17th–19th centuries: Some contributions from documentary sources and their value to palaeopathologists
Vitamin D deficiency in bioarchaeology and beyond: The study of rickets and osteomalacia in the past
An Unusual Erosive Arthropathy from Medieval England
In palaeopathology, diagnosis of skeletal disease is classically made with reference to changes wrought by known diseases in modern or recent cases. This report presents a skeleton from medieval England which shows a form of erosive arthropathy. A more precise diagnosis is problematic because the alterations appear inconsistent with any of the principle forms of erosive arthropathy in current clinical classification. The distribution of lesions i…
Estimation of stature in archaeological human skeletal remains from Britain
OBJECTIVES: For archaeological populations of northwest European origin, the Trotter and Gleser () "White" equations are generally used to estimate stature from long-bone length. The aim of this research is to investigate the reliability of these formulae for this purpose. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Stature estimated using the Trotter and Gleser formulae was evaluated by comparing estimates with anatomically reconstructed stature in adult skeletons (…
A Case of Early Childhood Caries from Late Roman Ancaster, England
This paper presents a differential diagnosis of pathological changes observed in the deciduous dentition of a child aged 3-4 years, recovered from a Late Roman (c. ad 270-410) cemetery at Ancaster, England. The entire maxillary dentition exhibited areas of missing enamel and erosion of the underlying dentine, which was most pronounced at the lingual surfaces of the anterior teeth, and lingual and occlusal surfaces of the molars. Additionally, the…
Evidence for End-stage Cannibalism on Sir John Franklin's Last Expedition to the Arctic, 1845
The 1845 British naval expedition commanded by Sir John Franklin to map the Northwest Passage ended in disaster, with none returning alive from the Canadian Arctic. The 19th century Inuit testimony described cannibalism among Franklin's men in the final throes of the expedition. Such claims were controversial at the time, but were supported in the 1980s and 1990s when knife marks were identified on human remains recovered from expedition sites on…
A Study of the Potential of Deciduous Incisor Wear as an Indicator of Weaning Using a Human Skeletal Population
The aim of this work is to investigate the potential of wear on the earliest erupting teeth, the deciduous central incisors, for studying weaning in human skeletal populations. The study group is from mediaeval Wharram Percy, where existing δ15N data indicate cessation of breastfeeding occurred by about 24 months post-partum. The hypothesis tested is that there should be an increase in dental wear as breast milk is replaced with solid foods durin…
Mandibular morphology in two archaeological human skeletal samples from northwest Europe with different masticatory regimes
Bilateral scapular fracture in a likely case of assault from Mediaeval Ipswich, England
The palaeopathology of scurvy in Europe
Wear on the deciduous molars in a Mediaeval English human population: A study using crown height
The Prevalence and Health Implications of Concha Bullosa in a Population from Mediaeval England
Concha bullosa is hypertrophy of the middle nasal concha attributable to its pneumatisation. It is considered to be the most common anatomical variant of the ostiomeatal complex, but it has been little studied in skeletal populations. It is uncertain whether the prevalence of concha bullosa varies in different world populations. Some have suggested that it predisposes to sinusitis, but this is controversial. The aim of the current work is to asse…
An Infant Femur Bearing Cut Marks from Roman Hambleden, England: Cut-Marked Infant Femur
A perinatal infant skeleton from the first–fourth century AD Roman villa site at Hambleden, England, shows what appear to be cut marks on the proximal part of the right femur. Gross, microscopic and micro-computed tomography evaluations suggest that they occurred perimortem and were probably caused by a non-serrated blade. The reason for the cuts is uncertain, but their location is consistent with the practice of embryotomy, as described in class…
Scurvy as a factor in the loss of the 1845 Franklin expedition to the Arctic: A reconsideration
In 1845, an expedition, commanded by Sir John Franklin, set out to discover the Northwest Passage. The ships entered the Canadian Arctic, and from September 1846 were beset in ice off King William Island. A note left by the expedition in May 1847 reported all was well, but by April 1848, 24 of the 129 men had died. The ice-locked ships were deserted in April 1848, but the 105 survivors were so weakened that all perished before they could reach sa…
The value of sieving of grave soil in the recovery of human remains: An experimental study of poorly preserved archaeological inhumations
An investigation of age‐related changes at the acetabulum in 18th–19th century ad adult skeletons from Christ Church Spitalfields, London
The age‐markers described at the adult acetabulum by Rissech et al. (J Forensic Sci 51 (2006) 213–229) were scored in the Spitalfields collection of skeletons of documented age and sex ( N = 161). The purpose of the work was as a contribution to the evaluation of the general utility of these markers for estimating age at death. To this end, their relationship both with age, and with some other factors, was investigated. The latter comprised sex, …
A possible case of treponemal disease from England dating to the 11th-12th century AD
This short report describes a human skeleton from an archaeological site in England showing signs of treponemal disease. A radiocarbon determination indicates that it is firmly pre-Columbian in date. The implications for recent debates concerning the origin of treponemal disease in Europe are discussed. Copyright (c) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Concha bullosa, a neglected condition in palaeopathology
An investigation of diet in early Anglo-Saxon England using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of human bone collagen
New light on the personal identification of a skeleton of a member of Sir John Franklin’s last expedition to the Arctic, 1845
Perinatal infant death at the Roman villa site at Hambleden, Buckinghamshire, England
Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values of bone and teeth reflect weaning age at the Medieval Wharram Percy site, Yorkshire, UK
We report on the measurements of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes of both bone and teeth from a single site and population (Medieval Wharram Percy), undertaken to explore variations due to weaning in a past population. There have been a number of recent studies of weaning using δ 15 N values of ribs, and we indicate a number of assumptions that must be met before the results of such studies can be correctly interpreted. We found that rib colla…
Skeletal manifestations of rickets in infants and young children in a historic population from England
Gross and radiographic changes characteristic of inadequate bone mineralization due to rickets are described in 21 immature skeletons from a 19th century urban population from Birmingham, England. The aims of the study are as follows: to evaluate and if possible augment existing dry‐bone criteria for the recognition of rickets in immature skeletal remains; to investigate the value of radiography for the paleopathological diagnosis of rickets; and…
An investigation of diet in early Anglo-Saxon England using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of human bone collagen
Paleopathological and biomolecular study of tuberculosis in a medieval skeletal collection from England
Nine human skeletons of medieval date from a rural English burial site show signs of skeletal tuberculosis. They were subject to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays aimed at detecting traces of DNA from infecting mycobacteria, with the purpose both of confirming the paleopathological diagnosis of tuberculosis and determining in individual cases whether disease was due to M. tuberculosis or M. bovis . In all nine cases, evidence for M. tubercul…
New light on the personal identification of a skeleton of a member of Sir John Franklin’s last expedition to the Arctic, 1845
Skeletal manifestations of vitamin D deficiency osteomalacia in documented historical collections
The frequency with which changes related to vitamin D deficiency are recorded in juvenile bone from archaeological contexts makes it clear that conditions conducive to such deficiency were fairly widespread at a number of points in the past. Although changes will take longer to be manifest in the adult skeleton than in juveniles, and may not be as obvious, the scarcity of reported cases suggests that it is likely that cases of osteomalacia are be…
Evaluation and interpretation of residual rickets deformities in adults
Recent research has considerably improved the recognition and recording of rickets and osteomalacia in archaeological human bone, but the recognition and recording of residual deformities of rickets present in adults is still limited. The aim of this study was to assist with differential diagnosis of residual rickets deformities and determine which of the deformities that are characteristic of rickets could be identified in the adult skeleton. Lo…
Osteoporosis in a population from medieval Norway
Modern populations from Norway and England differ in their experience of osteoporosis, the former showing lower bone mineral density (BMD) and a higher fragility fracture rate. The aim of the present work was to investigate whether this was also the case during the Middle Ages. Age‐dependent loss of BMD in the proximal femur was assessed using dual X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) in male and female adult skeletons from a cemetery in the medieval town …
The Archaeology of Osteoporosis
The application of medical scanning technologies to archaeological skeletons provides novel insights into the history and potential causes of osteoporosis. The present study investigated bone mineral density (BMD) in medieval skeletons from England and Norway. Comparisons between the two adult populations found no statistically significant differences. This compares with a modern fracture incidence for the femoral neck in women from Norway that i…
Growth in an English population from the Industrial Revolution
The rapid urbanization of the Industrial Revolution in 18th–19th century England presented new health challenges. Our aim is to investigate using English skeletal remains whether the living conditions for an urban working class group in the Industrial Revolution negatively impacted upon their skeletal growth compared with a population from a rural agrarian parish. The Industrial Revolution skeletal material is from St Martin's Churchyard, Birming…
Spondylolysis, spondylolisthesis, and lumbo‐sacral morphology in a medieval English skeletal population
The prevalence of spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis was studied in an adult skeletal series from a rural English medieval archaeological site. Attempts were made to evaluate the association of three aspects of lumbo‐sacral skeletal morphology (pelvic incidence (a measure of the anterior inclination of the sacral table), lumbar transverse process width, and the presence of lumbo‐sacral spina bifida occulta) with spondylolysis and spondylolisthes…
Investigation of the link between visceral surface rib lesions and tuberculosis in a Medieval skeletal series from England using ancient DNA
Seven human skeletons from a large assemblage from a rural English Medieval burial site show lesions, predominantly proliferative in nature, on the visceral surfaces of the ribs. In order to investigate whether these rib lesions were regularly associated with tuberculous infection, these individuals, together with a group of age‐ and sex‐matched control skeletons without bony signs of infection, were subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) a…
Growth and vitamin D deficiency in a population from 19th century Birmingham, England
The West Midlands of England were the cradle of the Industrial Revolution. The 19th century AD skeletal remains from St Martin's Church, Birmingham, West Midlands, provided an important opportunity to assess the health of an urban, working-class population at this key point in British history. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of rickets on growth in this population. Modern clinical data suggest that those with vitamin D defi…
A likely case of scurvy from early Bronze Age Britain
A probable case of scurvy is identified in a child skeleton from England, dating to 2200-1970 BC. Lesions were mainly restricted to the ectocranium, but some endocranial lesions were also seen. This appears to be the earliest reported example of scurvy from Britain, and adds to the very few palaeopathological case descriptions available for the disease in infants and young children from Europe. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
The relationship of bone mineral density and other growth parameters to stress indicators in a medieval juvenile population
In this study the radii of 34 juveniles from Wharram Percy, a British medieval site, were measured for bone mineral density (BMD) using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in order to investigate evidence of stress including Harris lines, cribra orbitalia and deficient cortical index, which is usually attributed to poor nutrition. BMD measurements are used in modern children to assess growth and development and generally correlate with linear …
Osteological and Biomolecular Study of Two Possible Cases of Hypertrophic Osteoarthropathy from Mediaeval England
An investigation of age‐related changes at the acetabulum in 18th–19th century ad adult skeletons from Christ Church Spitalfields, London
The age‐markers described at the adult acetabulum by Rissech et al. (J Forensic Sci 51 (2006) 213–229) were scored in the Spitalfields collection of skeletons of documented age and sex ( N = 161). The purpose of the work was as a contribution to the evaluation of the general utility of these markers for estimating age at death. To this end, their relationship both with age, and with some other factors, was investigated. The latter comprised sex, …
Perinatal infant death at the Roman villa site at Hambleden, Buckinghamshire, England
Scurvy as a factor in the loss of the 1845 Franklin expedition to the Arctic: A reconsideration
In 1845, an expedition, commanded by Sir John Franklin, set out to discover the Northwest Passage. The ships entered the Canadian Arctic, and from September 1846 were beset in ice off King William Island. A note left by the expedition in May 1847 reported all was well, but by April 1848, 24 of the 129 men had died. The ice-locked ships were deserted in April 1848, but the 105 survivors were so weakened that all perished before they could reach sa…
Estimation of stature in archaeological human skeletal remains from Britain
OBJECTIVES: For archaeological populations of northwest European origin, the Trotter and Gleser () "White" equations are generally used to estimate stature from long-bone length. The aim of this research is to investigate the reliability of these formulae for this purpose. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Stature estimated using the Trotter and Gleser formulae was evaluated by comparing estimates with anatomically reconstructed stature in adult skeletons (…
A Study of the Potential of Deciduous Incisor Wear as an Indicator of Weaning Using a Human Skeletal Population
The aim of this work is to investigate the potential of wear on the earliest erupting teeth, the deciduous central incisors, for studying weaning in human skeletal populations. The study group is from mediaeval Wharram Percy, where existing δ15N data indicate cessation of breastfeeding occurred by about 24 months post-partum. The hypothesis tested is that there should be an increase in dental wear as breast milk is replaced with solid foods durin…
Study and restudy of curated skeletal collections in bioarchaeology: A perspective on the UK and the implications for future curation of human remains
This paper considers the bioarchaeological study and restudy of human skeletal remains in museums and other institutions that curate human remains from archaeological sites. Papers published from 1990 to 2009 in the Journal of Archaeological Science, Journal of Paleopathology, American Journal of Physical Anthropology and International Journal of Osteoarchaeology were considered and contributions dealing with skeletal remains from UK archaeologic…
Skeletal evidence for hyperparathyroidism in a 19th century child with rickets
The skeletal remains of a child aged 2.5-3.5 years, recovered during archaeological excavations at the churchyard of St Martin's Church, Birmingham, UK, were examined using gross observation, radiography and scanning electron microscopy. Lesions suggestive of the presence of rickets and of secondary hyperparathyroidism were found. This appears to be a first report of secondary hyperparathyroidism in response to rickets in a palaeopathological spe…
Lysis at the anterior vertebral body margin: Evidence for Brucellar Spondylitis
Recently, palaeopathologists have begun to diagnose brucellosis in skeletal remains from minor lytic lesions located on the anterior margins of one or some few vertebral bodies, taking these lesions to represent brucellar epiphysitis. However, review of the literature indicates that these lesions have been sporadically noted for some time by palaeopathologists and various different interpretations have been placed upon them. In view of this, a st…
Palaeo-otology of cholesteatoma
A cholesteatoma is a collection of dead epithelial cells in the ear which becomes infected with low-grade pathogenic microorganisms. The lesion tends to cause resorption of the surrounding bone, which potentially permits its recognition in skeletal remains. Cholesteatoma may occur in the middle or the outer ear. Using two examples of cholesteatoma in skeletal remains from British archaeological sites, the differential diagnosis of cholesteatoma f…
Age-dependent bone loss in the femur in a medieval population
Age-dependent bone loss in femurs in a medieval skeletal assemblage from Wharram Percy, England was studied. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used to measure bone mineral density (BMD) in the proximal femur; radiogrammetry was used to measure cortical index (FEMCI) at the femur mid-shaft. Age-related loss of BMD was found in the proximal femur in both sexes. Females but not males showed loss of FEMCI. Patterning in bone loss with respec…
Paleopathological and biomolecular study of tuberculosis in a medieval skeletal collection from England
Nine human skeletons of medieval date from a rural English burial site show signs of skeletal tuberculosis. They were subject to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays aimed at detecting traces of DNA from infecting mycobacteria, with the purpose both of confirming the paleopathological diagnosis of tuberculosis and determining in individual cases whether disease was due to M. tuberculosis or M. bovis . In all nine cases, evidence for M. tubercul…
The Archaeology of Osteoporosis
The application of medical scanning technologies to archaeological skeletons provides novel insights into the history and potential causes of osteoporosis. The present study investigated bone mineral density (BMD) in medieval skeletons from England and Norway. Comparisons between the two adult populations found no statistically significant differences. This compares with a modern fracture incidence for the femoral neck in women from Norway that i…
A possible case of hyperparathyroidism in a burial of 15-17th century AD date from Wharram Percy, England
The subject of this paper is the partial skeleton of an adult female, dating to ad 1420-1640, excavated from the church at the deserted village of Wharram Percy, North Yorkshire, UK. Lesions are described which are probably indicative of hyperparathyroidism. Copyright (c) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Osteological and Biomolecular Study of Two Possible Cases of Hypertrophic Osteoarthropathy from Mediaeval England
Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values of bone and teeth reflect weaning age at the Medieval Wharram Percy site, Yorkshire, UK
We report on the measurements of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes of both bone and teeth from a single site and population (Medieval Wharram Percy), undertaken to explore variations due to weaning in a past population. There have been a number of recent studies of weaning using δ 15 N values of ribs, and we indicate a number of assumptions that must be met before the results of such studies can be correctly interpreted. We found that rib colla…
Investigation of the link between visceral surface rib lesions and tuberculosis in a Medieval skeletal series from England using ancient DNA
Seven human skeletons from a large assemblage from a rural English Medieval burial site show lesions, predominantly proliferative in nature, on the visceral surfaces of the ribs. In order to investigate whether these rib lesions were regularly associated with tuberculous infection, these individuals, together with a group of age‐ and sex‐matched control skeletons without bony signs of infection, were subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) a…
Excavations on a Bronze Age Cairn at Hardendale Nab, Shap, Cumbria
The cairn on Hardendale Nab was excavated in 1986 in advance of destruction by quarrying, and this allowed the reconstruction of a complex sequence of development. Construction of the cairn appears to have begun in the Early Bronze Age, although it might have been earlier. Phase 1 comprised a simple cist burial, and small earthen mound, with a number of secondary burials made in and around the original monument. Unusual rectangular features might…
Skeletal manifestations of vitamin D deficiency osteomalacia in documented historical collections
The frequency with which changes related to vitamin D deficiency are recorded in juvenile bone from archaeological contexts makes it clear that conditions conducive to such deficiency were fairly widespread at a number of points in the past. Although changes will take longer to be manifest in the adult skeleton than in juveniles, and may not be as obvious, the scarcity of reported cases suggests that it is likely that cases of osteomalacia are be…
The relationship of bone mineral density and other growth parameters to stress indicators in a medieval juvenile population
In this study the radii of 34 juveniles from Wharram Percy, a British medieval site, were measured for bone mineral density (BMD) using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in order to investigate evidence of stress including Harris lines, cribra orbitalia and deficient cortical index, which is usually attributed to poor nutrition. BMD measurements are used in modern children to assess growth and development and generally correlate with linear …
Osteoporosis in a population from medieval Norway
Modern populations from Norway and England differ in their experience of osteoporosis, the former showing lower bone mineral density (BMD) and a higher fragility fracture rate. The aim of the present work was to investigate whether this was also the case during the Middle Ages. Age‐dependent loss of BMD in the proximal femur was assessed using dual X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) in male and female adult skeletons from a cemetery in the medieval town …
Spondylolysis, spondylolisthesis, and lumbo‐sacral morphology in a medieval English skeletal population
The prevalence of spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis was studied in an adult skeletal series from a rural English medieval archaeological site. Attempts were made to evaluate the association of three aspects of lumbo‐sacral skeletal morphology (pelvic incidence (a measure of the anterior inclination of the sacral table), lumbar transverse process width, and the presence of lumbo‐sacral spina bifida occulta) with spondylolysis and spondylolisthes…
Skeletal manifestations of rickets in infants and young children in a historic population from England
Gross and radiographic changes characteristic of inadequate bone mineralization due to rickets are described in 21 immature skeletons from a 19th century urban population from Birmingham, England. The aims of the study are as follows: to evaluate and if possible augment existing dry‐bone criteria for the recognition of rickets in immature skeletal remains; to investigate the value of radiography for the paleopathological diagnosis of rickets; and…
Palaeo-otology of cholesteatoma
A cholesteatoma is a collection of dead epithelial cells in the ear which becomes infected with low-grade pathogenic microorganisms. The lesion tends to cause resorption of the surrounding bone, which potentially permits its recognition in skeletal remains. Cholesteatoma may occur in the middle or the outer ear. Using two examples of cholesteatoma in skeletal remains from British archaeological sites, the differential diagnosis of cholesteatoma f…
Spondylolysis in the lower thoracic-upper lumbar spine in a British medieval population
Spondylolysis is generally a condition of the lower lumbar spine, but occasionally it is observed at cranial to L4. It is generally agreed that spondylolysis in the lower lumbar spine represents fatigue failure of the neural arch. However, whether a biomechanical explanation is adequate to explain lesions cranial to L4 is disputed. Morphological aspects of spondylolysis at T12-L3 (five cases) are compared with those of lesions at L4-L6 (24 cases)…
Skeletal evidence for hyperparathyroidism in a 19th century child with rickets
The skeletal remains of a child aged 2.5-3.5 years, recovered during archaeological excavations at the churchyard of St Martin's Church, Birmingham, UK, were examined using gross observation, radiography and scanning electron microscopy. Lesions suggestive of the presence of rickets and of secondary hyperparathyroidism were found. This appears to be a first report of secondary hyperparathyroidism in response to rickets in a palaeopathological spe…
Lysis at the anterior vertebral body margin: Evidence for Brucellar Spondylitis
Recently, palaeopathologists have begun to diagnose brucellosis in skeletal remains from minor lytic lesions located on the anterior margins of one or some few vertebral bodies, taking these lesions to represent brucellar epiphysitis. However, review of the literature indicates that these lesions have been sporadically noted for some time by palaeopathologists and various different interpretations have been placed upon them. In view of this, a st…
A palaeopathological investigation of the third intercondylar tubercle of Parsons
The third intercondylar tubercle of Parsons (TITP) is a bony protuberance which is sometimes present on the tibial plateau. It corresponds to the insertion of the anterior fibres of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Reasons why TITP is present in some knees and not others are at present unclear. TITP is studied in knee joints from 68 adult individuals from a medieval cemetery. Associations are investigated with age, sex, knee osteoarthritis, …
Growth in an English population from the Industrial Revolution
The rapid urbanization of the Industrial Revolution in 18th–19th century England presented new health challenges. Our aim is to investigate using English skeletal remains whether the living conditions for an urban working class group in the Industrial Revolution negatively impacted upon their skeletal growth compared with a population from a rural agrarian parish. The Industrial Revolution skeletal material is from St Martin's Churchyard, Birming…
A likely case of scurvy from early Bronze Age Britain
A probable case of scurvy is identified in a child skeleton from England, dating to 2200-1970 BC. Lesions were mainly restricted to the ectocranium, but some endocranial lesions were also seen. This appears to be the earliest reported example of scurvy from Britain, and adds to the very few palaeopathological case descriptions available for the disease in infants and young children from Europe. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
A possible case of renal osteodystrophy in a skeleton from medieval Wharram Percy, England
The skeletal remains of a child aged 13-15 years, recovered from Wharram Percy, England, and dating from AD 960-1700, were examined using gross observation, radiography and scanning electron microscopy. Lesions suggestive of renal osteodystrophy were found. Palaeopathological recognition of renal disease has hitherto relied upon the identification of soft tissue lesions or the presence of urinary calculi. This appears to be the first palaeopathol…
Growth and vitamin D deficiency in a population from 19th century Birmingham, England
The West Midlands of England were the cradle of the Industrial Revolution. The 19th century AD skeletal remains from St Martin's Church, Birmingham, West Midlands, provided an important opportunity to assess the health of an urban, working-class population at this key point in British history. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of rickets on growth in this population. Modern clinical data suggest that those with vitamin D defi…
The impact of case reports relative to other types of publication in palaeopathology
Despite repeated calls for palaeopathology to move away from descriptive case reports towards quantitative, problem‐orientated work, case reports still form a high proportion of palaeopathology journal publications. This work assesses, using citation analysis, the impact of the case report relative to that of other types of study in palaeopathology. Results suggest that case studies are cited less often than other types of publication, but that t…
Human osteoarchaeology in the UK 2001-2007: A Bibliometric Perspective
Bibliometric analysis of osteoarchaeology publications covering the period 2001-2007 in leading journals was carried out. The aims were two-fold: firstly, to characterise research in this field in the UK and make comparisons with selected other countries, and secondly, to shed light on the use of skeletal collections. It was found that, since a previous survey of this type,covering the period 1991-1995, isotopic and DNA studies have increased. In…
Evaluation and interpretation of residual rickets deformities in adults
Recent research has considerably improved the recognition and recording of rickets and osteomalacia in archaeological human bone, but the recognition and recording of residual deformities of rickets present in adults is still limited. The aim of this study was to assist with differential diagnosis of residual rickets deformities and determine which of the deformities that are characteristic of rickets could be identified in the adult skeleton. Lo…
Medicine (39 works) · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies (33 works) · Anatomy (20 works) · Archaeology (19 works) · Pathology (19 works) · History (17 works) · Paleopathology (17 works) · Population (17 works) · Biology (15 works) · Internal Medicine (15 works)