Comparison of mercury and lead levels in the bones of rural and urban populations in Southern Denmark and Northern Germany during the Middle Ages

Rasmussen, Kaare Lund; Skytte, Lilian; Jensen, Anne Juul; Boldsen, Jesper L.

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2015.06.021

Cited by 30 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…In recent years, the bioarchaeological record has been able to provide independent verification of the historic evidence for the widespread medicinal use of mercury. Rasmussen et al (Rasmussen, Skytte, Jensen, & Boldsen, ; Rasmussen, Skytte, Ramseyer, & Boldsen, ) found elevated mercury concentrations in skeletal remains from several medieval Danish and German cemeteries and monastic sites, likely a result of mercurial treatments. Another study from Poland also identified elevated bone mercury in individuals dating from the 14th–19th centuries AD with pathological changes consistent with venereal syphilis (see Kępa et al, ).…”

Section: Mercury In Historical and Bioarchaeological Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Uptake of heavy metals by bone during diagenetic processes is an important consideration when examining post‐mortem mercury concentrations. Rasmussen et al () measured soil samples associated with skeletons that had high mercury concentrations and these showed no correlation with mercury levels, thus indicating that diagenesis was not a factor (Rasmussen et al, ). Yamada et al () and Zuckerman () likewise found no evidence for diagenetic transfer of mercury between bone and soil.…”

Section: Mercury In Historical and Bioarchaeological Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The cortical surfaces were abraded with a dental bur and then cleaned with a synthetic brush and ultrapure water. Only cortical bone from the rib samples was used as it is far less susceptible to post‐mortem contamination from the burial environment than trabecular bone (see Rasmussen et al, ). Rib samples provide average values skewed towards the end of the individual's life because they undergo a faster bone turnover rate than most other bones.…”

Section: Sampling and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Yamada et al (1995) and Zuckerman (2017a) likewise found no evidence for diagenetic transfer of mercury between bone and soil. Although lead can be passively absorbed by bone hydroxyapatite (the mineral and matrix component of bone and teeth; Swanston et al, 2012), mercury is uncommon in the natural environment and humans are not prone to post-mortem uptake (Ávila, Mansilla, Bosch, & Pijoan, 2014;Rasmussen et al, 2015). Bone hydroxyapatite retains mercury by replacing calcium and bonding with carbonates during life (Ávila et al, 2014;Lee, Kim, & Kwon, 2005).…”

Section: Mercury In Historical and Bioarchaeological Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bone hydroxyapatite retains mercury by replacing calcium and bonding with carbonates during life (Ávila et al, 2014;Lee, Kim, & Kwon, 2005). Therefore, high concentrations of mercury in skeletal remains are considered to be a robust indicator of in vivo exposure (Rasmussen et al, 2015;Schwarz, Skytte, & Rasmussen, 2013). The bone matrix acts as a long term (>2 years) heavy metal reservoir until remodelling or resorbtion occur (Miculescu et al, 2011).…”

Section: Mercury In Historical and Bioarchaeological Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Volcanoes, medicine, and monasticism: Investigating mercury exposure in medieval Iceland

Walser

Kristjánsdóttir

Gowland

et al. 2018

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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This study aimed to evaluate the possible use of mercury as a medical treatment at the medieval monastic hospital Skriðuklaustur (ad 1494–1554) in eastern Iceland. The individuals excavated from Skriðuklaustur exhibited a wide range of pathological conditions, including the only skeletal evidence of venereal syphilis in Iceland. Skeletal remains from the Skeljastaðir cemetery (ca. ad 1000–1104) in southern Iceland were also analysed in light of the site's proximity to the mercury emitting volcano Hekla. The eruption produced a severe toxic fallout resulting in the mass mortality of livestock and is believed to have caused the abandonment of Skeljastaðir and the other farms in the region. The skeletal analyses and sampling were conducted according to standard anthropological methods. Mercury concentrations were determined in human (n = 50), faunal (n = 23), and soil (n = 22) samples using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Individuals from both sites exhibited elevated mercury concentrations. At Skriðuklaustur, some individuals showed normal concentrations, but those with pathological conditions (e.g., hydatidosis, syphilis, tuberculosis, and other non‐specific infections) had the highest concentrations overall. On the other hand, all the individuals analysed from Skeljastaðir exhibited elevated mercury concentrations, some of which were remarkably high. A few of the individuals buried at Skeljastaðir post‐date the eruption, possibly indicating that some of them experienced heavy exposure to volcanic emissions. The less extreme concentrations at Skriðuklaustur may be a result of attention to dosage and the temporary nature of mercurial treatments. None of the faunal and soil samples presented with concentrations exceeding the normal limit, implying that diagenesis was not a concern in this research. The conclusion is that a variety of factors from medical treatment to scholarly work lead to mercury exposure at Skriðuklaustur, whereas at Skeljastaðir, volcanogenic emissions are implicated.

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Section: Mercury In Historical and Bioarchaeological Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mercury In Historical and Bioarchaeological Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sampling and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mercury In Historical and Bioarchaeological Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mercury In Historical and Bioarchaeological Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Volcanoes, medicine, and monasticism: Investigating mercury exposure in medieval Iceland

Walser

Kristjánsdóttir

Gowland

et al. 2018

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Bioarchaeology: Transformations in Lifestyle, Morbidity, and Mortality

and¹,

Larsen²

2023

A Companion to Biological Anthropology

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On the distribution of trace element concentrations in multiple bone elements in 10 Danish medieval and post‐medieval individuals

Rasmussen

Skytte

D’Imporzano

et al. 2016

American J Phys Anthropol

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It is found that excess As is mainly of diagenetic origin. The results support that Ba and Sr concentrations are effective provenance or dietary indicators. Migrating behavior or changes in diet have been observed in four individuals; non-migratory or non-changing diet in six out of the 10 individuals studied. From the two most mobile (most changing diet) individuals in the study, it is deduced that the fastest turnover is seen in the trabecular tissues of the long bones and the hands and the feet, and that these bone elements have higher turnover rates than centrally placed trabecular bone tissue, such as from the ilium or the spine. Comparing Sr and published bone turnover times, it is concluded that the differences seen in Sr concentrations are not caused by diagenesis, but by changes of diet or provenance. Finally, it is concluded that there can be two viable interpretations of the Pb concentrations, which can either be seen as an indicator for social class or a temporal development of increased Pb exposure over the centuries.

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Comparison of mercury and lead levels in the bones of rural and urban populations in Southern Denmark and Northern Germany during the Middle Ages

Cited by 30 publications

References 29 publications

Volcanoes, medicine, and monasticism: Investigating mercury exposure in medieval Iceland

Volcanoes, medicine, and monasticism: Investigating mercury exposure in medieval Iceland

Bioarchaeology: Transformations in Lifestyle, Morbidity, and Mortality

On the distribution of trace element concentrations in multiple bone elements in 10 Danish medieval and post‐medieval individuals

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