Brickley Megan B, Buckberry Jo
Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Chester New Hall 518, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4L9.
Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK.
Int J Paleopathol. 2015 Mar;8:51-54. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2014.08.003. Epub 2014 Nov 20.
With pressures on time and resources available to those undertaking research in paleopathology, poorly preserved archaeological human remains can often receive limited attention or be completely excluded from the analysis of archaeological sites. Although incomplete skeletons often yield minimal demographic information and can complicate the diagnosis of some pathological conditions, this is not universal. Significant information can be obtained even in partial remains on metabolic bone diseases (where, by definition, the whole skeleton is involved), and for conditions such as osteoarthritis and fractures which can be diagnosed in isolation. We present an example of an incomplete skeleton that provided valuable new information on pathological changes associated with osteomalacia, a condition that has been little studied to date in paleopathology. This skeleton also contributes to our understanding of the factors surrounding the classification of fractures, and provides new insight into the full range of circumstances in which eburnation can develop. This example demonstrates the value of including partial and poorly preserved skeletons in paleopathological analysis and the extent of information that can be obtained.
由于从事古病理学研究的人员面临时间和资源的压力，保存不佳的考古人类遗骸往往只能得到有限的关注，或者被完全排除在考古遗址分析之外。尽管不完整的骨骼通常只能提供极少的人口统计学信息，并且可能使某些病理状况的诊断变得复杂，但情况并非一概如此。即使是部分遗骸，也能获取有关代谢性骨病（根据定义，整个骨骼都会受累）的重要信息，以及诸如骨关节炎和骨折等可单独诊断的病症的信息。我们展示了一个不完整骨骼的例子，它提供了与骨软化症相关的病理变化的宝贵新信息，而骨软化症在古病理学领域迄今为止研究甚少。这具骨骼还有助于我们理解骨折分类所涉及的因素，并为骨磨损可能发生的各种情况提供了新的见解。这个例子证明了在古病理学分析中纳入部分和保存不佳的骨骼的价值，以及能够获取的信息范围。
