Mongillo Jessica, Cerviero Anthea, Zedda Nicoletta, Rinaldo Natascia, Bramanti Barbara
Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Am J Biol Anthropol. 2025 Jul;187(3):e70098. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.70098.
The higher mortality rate of the Black Death compared to later epidemics has prompted bioarchaeologists to address the health status of past plague victims and whether this may have influenced the selectivity of the disease. A person's phenotype is the result of a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors; body size, and in particular body mass and stature, are strongly influenced by external factors (such as economic conditions, famine, physiological stresses, etc.). In this study, we explored how variations in body mass and BMI may reflect changes in the population of London during the Black Death (1348-1350) and to understand the relationship between epidemic diseases and changes in body size in the past.
For this purpose, stature, body mass, and BMI were reconstructed using osteologic data from the Wellcome Osteological Research Database (WORD) of the Museum of London from individuals who died before, during, and after the Black Death in medieval England.
We observed a significant decrease in weight and stature in the period of the Black Death and a slight increase, compared to pre-Black Death data, after the plague epidemic. Values of BMI, conversely, remained more or less constant.
The results further clarify the effects of social upheavals before the Black Death on the health of the individuals and reveal new insights into their health after the extreme devastation. Moreover, we confirmed that BM, as well as stature, can be used to assess health changes in the past.
与后来的流行病相比，黑死病的死亡率更高，这促使生物考古学家研究过去鼠疫受害者的健康状况，以及这是否可能影响了该疾病的选择性。一个人的表型是遗传和环境因素之间复杂相互作用的结果；体型，尤其是体重和身高，受到外部因素（如经济状况、饥荒、生理压力等）的强烈影响。在本研究中，我们探讨了体重和身体质量指数（BMI）的变化如何反映黑死病时期（1348 - 1350年）伦敦人口的变化，并了解过去流行病与体型变化之间的关系。
为此，利用伦敦博物馆惠康骨学研究数据库（WORD）中中世纪英格兰在黑死病之前、期间和之后死亡个体的骨骼数据，重建了身高、体重和BMI。
我们观察到黑死病时期体重和身高显著下降，与黑死病之前的数据相比，鼠疫流行之后略有增加。相反，BMI值基本保持不变。
这些结果进一步阐明了黑死病之前社会动荡对个体健康的影响，并揭示了在极端破坏之后他们健康状况的新见解。此外，我们证实了体重以及身高可用于评估过去的健康变化。
