Atwell Madeline M
University of South Carolina, USA.
Int J Paleopathol. 2022 Dec;39:75-84. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2022.05.001. Epub 2022 Oct 27.
This study employs feminist disability theory and the concept of structural violence to interpret the results of skeletal and documentary analysis of fracture and disease presence (i.e., syphilis and tuberculosis) among a group of institutionalized women who lived and died within 20th-century Missouri state mental hospitals.
The skeletal remains and corresponding death certificates of 52 adult Euro-American women housed in the Robert J. Terry Anatomical Collection at the Smithsonian Museum Support Center. Archival and historical literature concerning state mental hospitals were also utilized.
Macroscopic skeletal analysis of fracture and disease combined with archival research (i.e., associated death certificates and historical documentation).
Approximately 15% of patients demonstrated evidence of perimortem hip fractures with no surgical intervention, most of whom were labeled "psychotic". Death certificates revealed the presence of syphilis (n = 4) and death from TB (n = 5).
Nineteenth and 20th-century patriarchal conditions contributed to the institutionalization of women. Women who were impoverished, spouseless, and perceived as mentally or physically disabled were particularly vulnerable to institutionalization. Once hospitalized, patients were exposed to structurally violent conditions including neglect and abuse that resulted in avoidable harm.
Historical and documentary data associated with osteological collections is underutilized and can serve to both humanize these individuals and advance our understanding of their intersectional experiences. The implementation of theoretical frameworks within bioarchaeology can also assist in more holistically interpreting the complexities of past life.
Small, homogenous sample size limited by macroscopic analysis.
Future work should increase sample size, heterogeneity, and conduct other relevant skeletal and documentary analyses.
本研究运用女性主义残疾理论和结构性暴力概念，解读一组20世纪在密苏里州立精神病院生活并去世的住院女性骨折和疾病（即梅毒和肺结核）的骨骼及文献分析结果。
史密森尼博物馆支持中心罗伯特·J·特里解剖学收藏馆中52名成年欧美女性的骨骼遗骸及相应死亡证明。还利用了有关州立精神病院的档案和历史文献。
骨折和疾病的宏观骨骼分析与档案研究（即相关死亡证明和历史文献）相结合。
约15%的患者有生前髋部骨折且未接受手术干预的证据，其中大多数被标记为“精神病患者”。死亡证明显示存在梅毒（n = 4）和死于肺结核（n = 5）。
19世纪和20世纪的父权制状况导致了女性被收容入院。贫困、无配偶且被视为精神或身体残疾的女性尤其容易被收容。一旦住院，患者就会面临包括忽视和虐待在内的结构性暴力状况，这些状况导致了可避免的伤害。
与骨骼学收藏相关的历史和文献数据未得到充分利用，既可以使这些个体更具人性，也有助于增进我们对她们交叉经历的理解。在生物考古学中运用理论框架也有助于更全面地解读过去生活的复杂性。
样本量小且同质化，受宏观分析限制。
未来的工作应增加样本量、样本的异质性，并进行其他相关的骨骼和文献分析。
