Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom.
Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2019 May;169(1):104-121. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.23817. Epub 2019 Mar 9.
Stark health inequalities exist in the present day between the North and South of England, with people in the South, overall, experiencing better health across a range of parameters (e.g., life expectancy and number of years spent in good health). Bioarchaeological studies of skeletal remains from cemeteries across this geographical divide have the ability to provide a temporal perspective on the etiology, longevity, and nature of this disparity.
In total 574 non-adults (0-17 years) from six urban sites (c. AD 1711-1856) were analyzed from the North and South of England. Measurements of long bone length, cortical thickness, and vertebral dimensions were analyzed alongside both skeletal and dental palaeopathological data to assess patterns of disease and growth disruption between skeletal samples.
There were few significant differences in growth parameters between the six sites in relation to geographical location. However, the northern-based sample Coach Lane (North Shields) demonstrated some of the highest rates of pathology, with metabolic disease being particularly prevalent.
Northern and southern populations suffered alike from the detrimental environmental conditions associated with urban centers of the 18th-19th centuries. However, the elevated prevalence of vitamin D deficiency seen within the Coach Lane sample is indicative of a regionally specific risk that may be related to latitude, and/or the influence of particular industries operating in the North-East.
如今，英格兰南北部之间存在明显的健康不平等现象，南部地区的人群在一系列指标上总体上拥有更好的健康状况（例如，预期寿命和健康年限）。对跨越这一地理分界线的墓地骨骼遗骸进行生物考古学研究，有能力从时间上了解这种差异的病因、寿命和性质。
共分析了来自英格兰南北部六个城市地点（公元 1711 年至 1856 年）的 574 名非成年人（0-17 岁）。对长骨长度、皮质厚度和椎骨尺寸的测量，以及骨骼和牙齿古病理学数据一起进行分析，以评估骨骼样本中疾病和生长中断的模式。
六个地点的地理位置与生长参数之间几乎没有显著差异。然而，位于北部的样本 Coach Lane（North Shields）显示出一些最高的病理发病率，其中代谢疾病尤其普遍。
北方和南方人群都同样遭受着与 18-19 世纪城市中心相关的恶劣环境条件的影响。然而，在 Coach Lane 样本中观察到的维生素 D 缺乏症的高发率表明存在区域性特定风险，这可能与纬度有关，或者与在东北地区运营的特定行业的影响有关。
