Term
| Paleopathology (old sickness) |
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Definition
| Evidence of disease or trauma in early human remains. |
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Term
| Potential problems with Paleopathology: |
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Definition
| Must be able to distinguish signs of disease on bones from burial trauma, tree root etching, excavation trauma, cleaning trauma etc., as any one of these factors can add marks to bone or remove signs of disease. |
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Term
| Sources of Paleopathological Information: (5) |
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Definition
(1) Skeletal remains
(2) Mummies
(3) Coprolites for signs of diet plus internal parasites
(4) Art forms
(5) Literature |
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Term
| Goals for Paleopathology: (3) |
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Definition
(1) to understand general health of the population.
(2) to understand the antiquity of certain diseases. i.e. first recorded instance of a specific disease
(3) to understand lifestyle |
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Definition
Trauma at Visby (Photo by R. Hejdstrom)
Spikes in skull are cross bow darts |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| Name one example of a lifestyle injury: |
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Definition
| 20% of Anglo Saxon remains showed evidence of characteristic fracture of the foot being suddenly twisted on the leg - due to walking on rough ground. Also many fractures of radius and ulna just above wrist, which is a Colles fracture from falling. |
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Definition
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Term
| Name an example of a sexual division of labor found in paleopathology: |
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Definition
| A group of California Indians - males had many fractures of lower limbs, but females quite few. Reason males gathered food on slippery rocks, while women gathered food in tidal pools going after sea lions. |
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Term
| Name an example of a cultural ideal of beauty found in paleopathology: |
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Definition
(1) cradle boards of N.A. Indians often flattened skull antero-posteriorly.
(2) head binding for long elongated skull (Africa and Peru.)
(3) Chinese foot binding - resulted in elaborated arch and curled under toes. |
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Definition
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Definition
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Term
| When the first Neanderthal skeleton was found it belonged to an old individual whose description led people to believe that all Neanderthals were stoop-shouldered and bent kneed, but this was merely an old individual. Which goal for studying paleopathology does this example relate to? |
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Definition
| Reason to study paleopathology is to be able to distinguish the normal from the pathological state. |
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Term
| Rickets is often caused by a Vitamin D deficiency causing inadequate absorption of calcium and phosphorus from the intestine. Which goal of studying paleopathology does this example relate to? |
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Definition
| . To obtain environmental/socio-cultural information. |
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Term
| What are the problems with sources of Vitamin D? (3) |
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Definition
(1) fish oils and fat in certain food products of animal origin. It is also synthesized in the body when ultraviolet rays convert ergosterol (in the skin) into Vitamin D.
(2) also cultural practices like the beauty of light skin (cover body) or cultural practice of keeping young females' faces and bodies covered and keeping them indoors as much as possible can contribute to a greater incidence of rickets.
(3)rickets is rare in Arctic regions because of a diet rich in Vitamin. D. Also rare in pre-Columbian America. |
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Term
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Definition
| This involves the systematic elimination of all possible causes of the pathology/anomaly observed. |
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Term
| What are important things to consider with differential diagnosis? |
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Definition
| Sex of the individual, age, geography as it affects climate, cultural practices, time period, degree of urbanization, and types of domesticated animals, etc. |
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Term
| What is a technique involved in studying skeletal lesions? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the first step of differential diagnosis? |
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Definition
| The first step in differential diagnosis is to describe the pathological condition. |
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Term
| What are the five steps in differential diagnosis to describe the pathological condition? (5) |
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Definition
(1) amount of bone
(2) location of lesion
(3) Radiographs whenever possible - non-destructive
(4) Chemical analysis to see if there is an excess or lack of material present
(5) Microscopic analysis |
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Term
| In the first step in differential diagnosis to describe the pathological condition, amount of bone, what are the terms used? (4) |
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Definition
(1) abnormal bone increase - hypertrophy- periosteal or endosteal
(2) abnormal bone loss - atrophy
(3) combination of the above e.g. porotic hyperostosis (orbits-anemia)
(4) normal bone quality but abnormal morphology e.g. congenital defect such as cleft lip/palate |
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Term
| In the second step in differential diagnosis to describe the pathological condition, location of the lesion, what are the terms used? (4) |
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Definition
(1) a solitary lesion with a single focus
(2) multiple lesions with multiple foci
(3) diffuse abnormal bone with no good specific focus but a change in the quality of bone.
(4) a local disturbance in size or shape in which the rest of the bone appears normal. |
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Term
| Bone trauma is an insult or an injury to a bone from a variety of sources, what are they? (5) |
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Definition
(1) Accidental
(2) Intentional
(3) Cosmetic
(4) Therapeutic
(5) Pathological weakness |
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Term
| What do bone fractures depend upon? |
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Definition
| Depend upon how force is applied |
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Term
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Definition
| Usually the process to which the tendon is attached breaks off because of excess tension from the tendon e.g. joint dislocation |
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Term
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Definition
| Bone breaks in the same direction that the force is applied e.g. spinal fractures. |
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Term
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Definition
| Twisting fractures - twisting pattern with one end of the bone fixed e.g. ski boots |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| What is an example of a bending fracture? |
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Definition
| Parry fracture - maximum stress is at a discrete part of the bone -a simple separation of bone |
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Term
| What can a bending fracture lead to? |
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Definition
| Can lead to a green stick fracture of bone in which there is longitudinal splitting and an incomplete transverse break. |
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Term
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Definition
| Opposite forces are applied in slightly different planes |
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Term
| What is an example of a shearing fracture? |
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Definition
| Colles fracture of distal radius in which distal radius end is sheared off and pushed backward. |
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Term
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Definition
| Bone Fractures Illustrated |
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Term
| What is a simple fracture? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is a comminuted fracture? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is a compound fracture? |
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Definition
| The skin broken and bone through. |
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Term
| What is an incomplete fracture? |
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Definition
| When crushing or broken but do not separate |
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Term
| What is a fatigue fracture? |
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Definition
| Brought about by unusual and continuous stress over a period of weeks e.g. military recruits in boot camp. |
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Term
| What is an example of a pathological fracture? |
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Definition
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Term
| What steps do fractures take to heal? (5) |
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Definition
1. blood supply is disrupted and bone adjacent to fracture dies.
2. a hematoma forms from coagulation of blood
3. the osteogenic layer of the periosteum is stimulated to produce a callus.
4. through the callus the lamellar bone begins to emerge.
5. once the lamellar bone is in place, the osteoclasts begin to shape bone
6. Callus will reduce after the bones are reunited. |
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Term
| How long may it take for the bones to reunite? |
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Definition
| This remodeling can take months or even years. |
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Term
| What can the amount of healing at the time of death inform? |
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Definition
| The amount of healing at the time of death can sometimes tell you when the person received the fracture. Some fractures never re-unite so develop a pseudo joint because of tissue caught between the breakage points. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| What occurs with crushing blows to the cranium with blunt objects? |
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Definition
| Can leave a series of ripple like breaks in the bone. |
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Term
| What occurs when a person falls onto a sharp object or experiences a blow to the cranium? |
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Definition
| It will leave a depressed bone fracture with the bone fragments pushed inward. |
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Term
| What will occur with fractures of the orbital roof? |
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Definition
| May result from sudden increases in cranial pressure due to gunshot wounds where gun is held beside head. |
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Term
| How can you tell which cranial blow came first? |
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Definition
| Because blows from second cracks stopped by lines from first blow. |
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Term
| How do gunshot wounds appear in the cranium? |
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Definition
| Gun shot wounds have small entry on outer table, and create v like passage through skull. |
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Term
| What does a cranial gunshot exit wound look like? |
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Definition
| Exit wound is often star shaped and is outwardly beveled. |
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Definition
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Definition
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Term
| What is a longitudinal fracture to the skull? |
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Definition
| Front to back –from blunt impact to face or forehead or crushing of skull. |
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Term
| What is a transverse fracture to the base of the skull? |
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Definition
| Side to side – divides base of skull into front and back halves – due to impact on either side of head. May not show up in children since sutures are not fused. |
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Term
| What is a ring fracture of the base of the skull? |
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Definition
| It separates the rim of the foramen fracture from the base of the skull |
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Term
| How is a ring fracture to the base of the skull caused? |
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Definition
| This is caused by a fall from a height in which person falls, lands on feet or buttocks and drives vertebral column into skull. (Can also cause the tibiae to be driven through soles of feet.) |
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Term
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Definition
Basal Skull Fractures
A= longitudinal fracture
B= transverse fracture
C= ring fracture |
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Term
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Definition
| Fall from a great height, tibia driven through feet |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Blow to frontal bone with blunt object |
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Definition
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Term
| How do you identify knife wounds on the skull? |
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Definition
| Can often identify kind of knife by width and depth of cut. |
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| What was the probable purpose of Trephination? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| What are the reasons for amputations? |
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Definition
| Stop infection and Punishment |
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Term
| What is the purpose of dismemberment? |
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Definition
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Term
| What does the way a body is dismembered tell us? |
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Definition
| Tells a lot about knowledge of anatomy. |
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Term
| How can we distinguish between experienced and inexperienced dismemberments? |
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Definition
| Inexperienced try to saw through bones. Those with skeletal knowledge cut at joints. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Trauma: hurt shin of tibia |
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Term
| What are the signs of recent bone healing? |
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Definition
| Sharp edges around a cut or break. |
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Term
| What do smoothed edges mean for bone healing? |
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Definition
| Healing, therefore lived afterward |
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Term
| What is a build up of bone a sign of? |
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Definition
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