Mitchell Piers D
Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, The Henry Wellcome Building, Fitzwilliam Street, Cambridge CB2 1QH, United Kingdom.
Int J Paleopathol. 2017 Dec;19:88-95. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2016.02.005. Epub 2016 Mar 7.
The texts written by the people of past societies can provide key information that enhances our understanding of disease in the past. Written sources and art can describe cultural contexts that not only help us interpret lesions in excavated human remains, but also provide evidence for past disease events themselves. However, in recent decades many biohistorical articles have been published that claim to diagnose diseases present in past celebrities or well known individuals, often using less than scholarly methodology. This article aims to help researchers use historical written sources and artwork responsibly, thus improving our understanding of health and disease in the past. It explores a broad range of historical sources, from medical texts and histories to legal documents and tax records, and it highlights how the key to interpreting any past text is to understand who wrote it, when it was written, and why it was written. Case studies of plague epidemics, crucifixion, and the spinal deformity of King Richard III are then used to highlight how we might better integrate archaeological and historical evidence. When done well, integrating evidence from both archaeological and historical sources increases the probability of a complete and well-balanced understanding of disease in past societies.
过去社会的人们所撰写的文本能够提供关键信息，增进我们对过去疾病的了解。书面资料和艺术作品可以描述文化背景，这不仅有助于我们解读出土人类遗骸中的损伤，还能为过去的疾病事件本身提供证据。然而，近几十年来，许多生物历史文章纷纷发表，声称能够诊断过去名人或知名人士所患的疾病，其采用的方法往往不够学术。本文旨在帮助研究人员负责任地利用历史书面资料和艺术作品，从而提升我们对过去健康与疾病的理解。它探讨了广泛的历史资料，从医学文本和历史记录到法律文件和税务记录，并强调解读任何过去文本的关键在于了解是谁写的、何时写的以及为何而写。随后通过鼠疫流行、钉十字架刑罚以及理查三世国王脊柱畸形的案例研究，来突出我们如何能够更好地整合考古学和历史证据。如果做得好，整合考古学和历史资料的证据会增加全面且平衡地了解过去社会疾病情况的可能性。
