Evidence for Remedial Medical Treatment of a Severe Knee Injury from the Fishergate Gilbertine Monastery in the City of York

Knüsel, Christopher J.; Kemp, Richard; Budd, Paul

doi:10.1006/jasc.1994.0038

Cited by 25 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…The examination of archaeologically derived human remains for evidence of medical treatment has been conducted on a wide range of temporally and spatially diverse samples (Roberts, 2002), and has provided independent evidence for fracture setting, the earliest examples of cranial surgery and skeletal adaptation to impairment (e.g. Hawkey, 1988; Knüsel et al ., 1995; Hubert, 2000; Powers, 2005). The analysis of such data is also open to variation, because it is approached from a range of research perspectives, for example medical history and medical anthropology (McElroy & Townsend, 1996; Jackson, 2000).…”

Section: Medical Treatment: Biases and Limitations Of Bioarchaeologicmentioning

confidence: 99%

A regional examination of surgery and fracture treatment in Iron Age and Roman Britain

Redfern

2009

Int. J. Osteoarchaeol.

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The study macroscopically examined 270 sexed adults and 190 subadult individuals for evidence of ante mortem fractures and surgical practice in Dorset, during the Iron Age (5th century BC to 1st century AD) and Romano-British period (1st century to the end of the 4th century AD), in order to understand medical treatment in both periods and determine the extent to which these practices changed post conquest (43 AD).As treatment during these periods is not well understood, a conservative approach to fracture analysis was employed, which attempted to minimise the influence of fracture type and location on results by excluding bones in which fracture deformities may only be corrected by surgery. The study also excluded fractures resulting from bone mineralisation diseases or neoplasms. Skeletal evidence for surgical treatment was identified using funerary, taphonomic and osteological criterion to determine when the surgery took place, and to establish that changes were not caused by post mortem activity.The analysis of fracture treatment demonstrated that in both periods, adult fractures were well set with few secondary changes; a result also influenced by the stable nature of the fracture types. No evidence for sex-differences in treatment was observed. Evidence for surgery was identified in two Romano-British individuals: an unsuccessful limb amputation, and an embryotomy procedure that was most likely carried out in an attempt to save the mother.This regional assessment of medical treatment has shown that in both periods, highly skilled practitioners were able to successfully treat a range of fractures and by doing so, minimised the patient's risk of impairment. The study also supplements the very limited archaeological evidence for medical practice and surgery in Iron Age and Roman Britain, and suggests that post conquest, surgical knowledge rapidly increased in association with wider socio-cultural developments in education, pharmacology and sanitation.

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Section: Medical Treatment: Biases and Limitations Of Bioarchaeologicmentioning

confidence: 99%

A regional examination of surgery and fracture treatment in Iron Age and Roman Britain

Redfern

2009

Int. J. Osteoarchaeol.

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“…We do also have to consider why the compressive apparatus used for treatment was not buried with the person when other skeletal conditions that have been treated in the archaeological record have revealed the mechanism of the therapy employed; these cases are however very rare (Wells, 1964;Hallback, 1976-7;Janssens, 1987, Knü sel et al, 1995. One might explain the absence of the treatment device as a result of that device being constructed of organic material such as wood or leather but, as the skeleton was so well preserved, we might have expected to find some evidence.…”

Section: Developmental Abnormality and Evidence Of Treatment?mentioning

confidence: 98%

A high status burial from Ripon Cathedral, North Yorkshire, England: differential diagnosis of a chest deformity

Groves

Roberts

Johnstone

et al. 2003

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Excavations beneath the crossing at Ripon Cathedral in North Yorkshire recently revealed a burial radiocarbon dated to the late 15th century AD. The burial was that of a young adult female; the location of the grave suggests a person of relatively high status. The very well preserved skeleton revealed abnormal changes to the bones of the thoracic cavity including anterior bowing of the sternum, flattening of the spinous processes of thoracic vertebrae three to nine against the processes below each one, and changes to the ribs that suggested anterior displacement of the rib cage. The skeletal changes are described and differential diagnoses presented. Treatment to an underlying chest deformity, 'pectus carinatum', is thought to be the underlying cause of the skeletal changes; this study may lend direct insight into the concepts of body image in the Medieval period.

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“…Finally, complete bone remodeling makes it difficult to identify fractures or ascertain the post-traumatic time interval. Although historical accounts of medical interventions for fractures in ancient times exist in the literature 9 – 12 , the effectiveness of these medical interventions is often inferred based solely on fracture reduction, without considering the body’s natural ability to correct displacement. Moreover, there is a lack of evidence to support the rationality of fracture treatment methods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Segmental femoral fracture malunion: evidence and prognostic analysis of medical intervention in the third century BC

Xing,

Zou,

Tang

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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We examined the remains of an individual who was unearthed from the Tuchengzi site and was believed to be from the Warring States period in China. The remains exhibited segmental femoral fracture. We aimed to deduce the cause of fracture, medical interventions, healing process, and motion behavior after fracture healing using several techniques, including macroscopic observation, computed tomography (CT), and finite element analysis. Based on the morphology of the long bones, it appeared that the individual was male. The fractures resulted in an adduction angle of 5.47° and an anterior flexion angle of 21.34° in the proximal femur, while the femoral neck anteversion angle had been replaced by a retroversion angle of 10.74°. Additionally, the distal femur formed an abnormal anterior convex angle of 144.60°. CT revealed mature callus formation and visible trabecular bundles. The finite element analysis indicated that the maximum von Mises stress in the femur was 17.44 MPa during standing and 96.46 MPa during walking. We suggest that medical practitioners in the Warring States period possessed a good knowledge of thigh anatomy, enabling them to perform fracture reduction and fixation. Reasonable medical intervention facilitated fracture healing and load recovery. Satisfactory fracture healing ensured that the individual could engage in normal standing and walking activities after rehabilitation.

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Evidence for Remedial Medical Treatment of a Severe Knee Injury from the Fishergate Gilbertine Monastery in the City of York

Cited by 25 publications

References 30 publications

A regional examination of surgery and fracture treatment in Iron Age and Roman Britain

A regional examination of surgery and fracture treatment in Iron Age and Roman Britain

A high status burial from Ripon Cathedral, North Yorkshire, England: differential diagnosis of a chest deformity

Segmental femoral fracture malunion: evidence and prognostic analysis of medical intervention in the third century BC

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