Congenital scoliosis: possible causes and consequences in a skeleton from Nubia

Kilgore, Lynn; Gerven, Dennis Van

doi:10.1002/oa.1085

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…There are three types of scoliosis which are all progressive: congenital, idiopathic and neuromuscular. While congenital scoliosis is already present at birth due to a malformation of the vertebrae in utero [ 102 ], idiopathic scoliosis develops during childhood and is of unknown aetiology. It is the most common type of scoliosis (80%) and seems to involve genetic and environmental factors [ 54 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Sommersdorf mummies—An interdisciplinary investigation on human remains from a 17th-19th century aristocratic crypt in southern Germany

et al. 2017

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Sommersdorf Castle (Bavaria, Germany) is a medieval castle complex which has been inhabited by the aristocratic family von Crailsheim. The deceased were entombed in a crypt located in the parapets underneath the castle’s church, resulting in mummification of the bodies. Based on the family chronicle and oral history, identities have been ascribed to the mummies. The aim of the study is therefore to test the accuracy of the historical records in comparison to archaeological, anthropological and genetic data. Today, the crypt houses eleven wooden coffins from the 17th to 19th century AD. In ten of these, mummified and scattered human remains were found. Archive records were studied in order to identify names, ancestry, titles, occupation, date of birth and death, and place of interment of the individuals. The coffins were visually inspected and dated by typo-chronology, and the mummified and scattered skeletal remains were subjected to a physical anthropological examination. In total, the crypt contains the remains of a minimum number of nine individuals, among them three adult males, five adult females and one infant. A detailed scientific examination, including prior conservation, ancient DNA analyses, and computed tomography (CT), was performed on five mummies. By means of the CT data age at death, sex, body height, pathologies, and anatomical variants were investigated. CT analysis further showed that the bodies were naturally mummified. Mitochondrial DNA analyses revealed that the tested individuals are not maternally related. In addition, health, living conditions and circumstances of death of the entombed individuals could be highlighted. Being confronted with the strengths, weaknesses and limitations of each methodological approach, probable identification was achieved in two cases.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Sommersdorf mummies—An interdisciplinary investigation on human remains from a 17th-19th century aristocratic crypt in southern Germany

et al. 2017

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“…Viciano et al (2017) also considered the articulations of and between vertebral body segments using the Cobb Angle in order to characterize overall spinal shapes, identifying both kyphosis and scoliosis in this individual. It is worth noting that similar research on congenital scoliosis was also undertaken to characterize spinal shape on an individual from Sudan (550-800 AD) by Kilgore and Van Gerven (2010). When Viciano et al (2017) combined this measure with other postcranial metrics, such as limb length and pelvic asymmetry, they suggested that the spinal angulation would have altered the biomechanical forces.…”

Section: Developmental Congenital and Culturalmentioning

confidence: 99%

The changing shape of palaeopathology: The contribution of skeletal shape analyses to investigations of pathological conditions

Gilmour

Plomp

2022

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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Analyses of human skeletal shape and geometry are used to investigate questions related to habitual activities and physical lifeways, as well as biological distance and relatedness. Recently, these methods have been applied to research concerning human evolutionary predisposition for disease, as well as functional experiences of pathological conditions. The use of these methods to address palaeopathological questions are relatively new, but related questions and approaches are gaining momentum. This manuscript provides an in‐depth review of the current state of this palaeopathological research by undertaking a meta‐analysis of anthropological literature. From the results of the meta‐analysis, we observe an increase in the use of quantitative shape analyses in palaeopathology, and identify four key themes in this literature: (1) description and diagnosis, (2) shapes that increase pathological risk, (3) shape change that arises from pathology, and (4) shape used for social insight. As this area of study develops, we recommend adaptations to measurement and data collection; comparative examinations of remains at the individual, population, and species levels; and, when possible, representation of all human variation through the inclusion of pathological individuals in geometric analyses. Palaeopathologists are ideally suited to investigate the relationship between bone shape and health, which may prove essential to the continued understanding of disease in both past and contemporary contexts.

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Setting the Scene for a Bioarchaeology of Care

Tilley

2015

Theory and Practice in the Bioarchaeology of Care

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Congenital scoliosis: possible causes and consequences in a skeleton from Nubia

Cited by 7 publications

References 53 publications

The Sommersdorf mummies—An interdisciplinary investigation on human remains from a 17th-19th century aristocratic crypt in southern Germany

The Sommersdorf mummies—An interdisciplinary investigation on human remains from a 17th-19th century aristocratic crypt in southern Germany

The changing shape of palaeopathology: The contribution of skeletal shape analyses to investigations of pathological conditions

Setting the Scene for a Bioarchaeology of Care

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