Titelbaum Anne R, Fresh Samantha, McNeil Bronwyn E, Ibarra Asencios Bebel
Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA.
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, 29424, USA.
Int J Paleopathol. 2021 Jun;33:146-157. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2021.04.006. Epub 2021 Apr 29.
Here we present the first known examples of brachydactyly from an Andean archaeological context by describing the affected bones, presenting a differential diagnosis, and discussing the cultural implications of there being shortened metapodials in multiple tombs.
3232 well-preserved tubular bones representing an MNI of 250 human adults.
Each bone was visually inspected. Measurements were taken with an osteometric board, sliding calipers, and a flexible tape measure.
Of 1210 metapodials excavated from eight burial contexts, ten were atypically short.
The ten shortened elements represent an MNI of three individuals with brachydactyly from two tombs. The presence of at least two individuals with brachydactyly in one tomb adds support to a previous suggestion that tombs were used for familial interment. It is plausible that the third individual from a different tomb was related to the other two, and the different burial contexts may reflect postmarital practices.
These cases offer insight into tomb use and underscore the importance of identifying rare developmental anomalies in the archaeological record as their presence may indicate genetic relationships within or among archaeological cemeteries.
With commingled contexts and incomplete recovery of skeletal remains, individualizing the brachydactylous elements was not possible. There is also a lack of comparative data from other Andean sites.
Identify more Andean cases of brachydactyly to learn if the relatively frequent involvement of the first digit is more common among Andean skeletal samples than North American, or if it is unique to Marcajirca.
通过描述受影响的骨骼、进行鉴别诊断以及讨论多个墓葬中存在缩短的掌骨和跖骨的文化意义，我们在此展示来自安第斯考古背景下已知的首例短指症病例。
3232根保存完好的管状骨，代表250名成年人类的最小个体数。
对每根骨头进行目视检查。使用骨测量板、游标卡尺和柔性卷尺进行测量。
从八个墓葬环境中挖掘出的1210根掌骨和跖骨中，有十根异常短小。
这十根缩短的骨骼代表来自两座墓葬的三名患有短指症个体的最小个体数。一座墓葬中至少有两名患有短指症的个体，这为之前关于墓葬用于家族埋葬的观点提供了支持。来自另一座墓葬的第三名个体与其他两人有亲属关系是合理的，不同的埋葬环境可能反映了婚后习俗。
这些案例有助于了解墓葬的使用情况，并强调在考古记录中识别罕见发育异常的重要性，因为它们的存在可能表明考古墓地内部或之间的遗传关系。
由于骨骼遗存的混合情况和不完全回收，无法将短指骨骼个体化。此外，缺乏来自其他安第斯遗址的比较数据。
识别更多安第斯地区的短指症病例，以了解在安第斯骨骼样本中，相对频繁累及的第一指是否比北美更常见，或者这是否是马尔卡希尔卡独有的现象。
