Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancón, Panamá, Republic of Panamá.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2019 Mar;168(3):448-458. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.23757. Epub 2018 Dec 21.
The appearance of external auditory exostoses archaeologically has been attributed to aquatic activities in middle latitudes. However, recent clinical research implicates low sea surface temperatures, especially below a threshold of 19°C, as a stronger predictor of ear exostosis development than latitude. Here, we examine the frequency of external auditory exostoses in human remains from nine pre-Columbian archaeological sites in Panama, representing individuals from a warm, tropical region.
External auditory exostoses were recorded as present when an abnormal bony growth was observed macroscopically within the ear canal. The presence of exostoses was compared by right and left side, geographical region, sex, and degree of stenosis.
A total of 125 adult individuals made up the observable sample analyzed in this study. Exostoses were observed in seven males and one female. All individuals affected by this pathology were excavated from mortuary contexts along the Gulf of Panama-a region characterized by intense cold water upwelling in the dry season.
This study suggests that external auditory exostoses in pre-Columbian Panama affected individuals involved in habitual aquatic activities in the cold, upwelled waters of the Gulf of Panama. These activities appear to be almost exclusively dominated by male individuals. Ethnohistorical and archaeological records point to marine shell resource acquisition by deep-water diving as the activity driving exostosis development in pre-Columbian Panama.
考古发现，外耳赘生物的出现与中纬度地区的水活动有关。然而，最近的临床研究表明，低海面温度，特别是低于 19°C 的温度，是耳赘生物发育的更强预测因素，而不是纬度。在这里，我们检查了来自巴拿马的九个前哥伦布时期考古遗址的人类遗骸中外耳赘生物的频率，这些个体来自温暖的热带地区。
当在耳道内宏观观察到异常骨生长时，记录外耳赘生物的存在。通过右侧和左侧、地理区域、性别和狭窄程度比较赘生物的存在。
本研究共分析了 125 名可观察到的成年个体样本。在 7 名男性和 1 名女性中观察到赘生物。所有受这种病理影响的个体都来自巴拿马湾的丧葬环境中挖掘出来的，该地区在旱季有强烈的冷水上涌。
本研究表明，在巴拿马前哥伦布时期，外耳赘生物影响了习惯在巴拿马湾寒冷、上涌水域进行水活动的个体。这些活动似乎几乎完全由男性个体主导。民族历史和考古记录表明，深海潜水获取海洋贝壳资源是导致巴拿马前哥伦布时期耳赘生物发展的活动。
