Archaeology of Disease

Charlotte Roberts is Professor of Archaeology at the University of Durham. She is a biological anthropologist whose focus is on paleopathology. Keith Manchester was formerly a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Archaeological Sciences at the University of Bradford and a general medical practitioner in Bradford.

• Chapter 1 - The Study of PalaeopathologyIntroduction and definitionsHistory of studyWorking from a clinical baseMethods of study and tissue changeTerminologyLimitations of palaeopathological studyBiocultural perspectives of disease frequencyMovement of peopleClimate and weatherDiet and economyLiving environmentOccupationTreatmentChapter 2 - Back to BasicsIntroductionPopulation growth through timePopulation growth, mortality and diseasePalaeopathology and the question of numbersPalaeodemographic structure: age and sexMethods of analysis for age and sex estimationSex estimationAge at death estimationPalaeodemographyStature and healthSocial status and healthEthnicity and healthEpilogueChapter 3 - Congenital DiseaseIntroductionCauses of developmental defectsAxial skeletonAnencephaly and microcephalyCleft palateHydrocephalusAbnormalities in cranial suture developmentSpina bifidaLumbarization and sacraclizationSpondyolysisAppendicular skeletonCongenital dislocation of the hipClub footAxial and appendicular skeletonAchondroplasiaOsteogenesis imperfectaDown's syndromeChapter 4 - Dental DiseaseIntroductionDental cariesDental abscessCalculus (calcified plaque)Periodontal disease and ante-mortem tooth lossEnamel hypoplasiaDental problems and associated diseasesDental attritionCulturally induced dental alterationMethods of recording dental diseaseChapter 5 - TraumaIntroductionTypes and causes of fracturesHealing of fracturesFracture complicationsLimitations of trauma studyFractures: living population studiesPost-cranial fractures: past population studiesInterpersonal aggression and traumatic lesionsDecapitation and scalping'Domestic' violence: infanticide, child abuse, defleshing and cannibalismTrauma and cause of deathDislocationOsteochondritis dissecansTreatment of traumaAmputationTrepanationTreatment of fracturesChapter 6 - Joint DiseaseIntroductionJoint anatomy and physiologyJoint disease: pathological processNenromechmical joint disease: osteoarthritisOsteoarthritis: skeletal involvementSpinal joint diseaseActivity, osteoarthritis and markers of 'occupation'Inflammatory joint disease: septic arthritisImmune joint diseaseRheumatoid arthritis (RA)Psoriatic arthritis (PA)Ankylosing spondylitis(SA)Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH)Metabolic joint disease: gouty arthritisChapter 7 - Infectious DiseaseIntroductionNon-specific infectionsOsteomyelitisPeriostitisSinusitisMiddle-ear and mastoid infectionEndocranial changesSoft-tissue infectionSpecific infectionsTuberculosisLeprosyTreponemal diseaseBrucellosis and the mycosesParasitic infectionInfectious disease in palaeopathology and biomolecular analysisChapter 8 - Metabolic and Endocrine DiseaseIntroductionMetabolic diseaseDiet and its relationship to diseaseAnaemiaVitamin C and D deficienciesHarris lines of arrested growthOsteoporosisEndocrine diseasePaget's diseaseChapter 9 - Neoplastic DiseaseIntroductionBenign neoplasmsMalignant neoplasmsSecondary cancerChapter10 - Conclusions: The Next Ten YearsIntroductionThe past (since 1995)The biocultural/bioarchaeological population approach to palaeopathologyDiagnosis and interpretation of diseaseThe practitionersAmbitious projects on diseaseStandardization of palaeopathological data recordingResearch on specific diseases or themesMethodological advancesThe present and futureStandardization of recording and reporting find access to palaeopathological dataThe practitioners, organizations and conferences, anl the mediaPalaeopathological studiesOur resource, and analytical developmentsReferencesIndex

A concise, informative, and very readable introduction to the field of paleopathology.(Journal of the History of Medicine (reviewing a previous edition)) This is a fabulous book. It is stocked full of useful data, is well organized, and devoid of most of the pseudoscience that plagues this area of study. It covers the entire field in a practical, no-nonsense style. If you are interested in ancient disease, then this is the bible, the finest text to date.(Journal of the American Association of Forensic Dentists)