Sex differences in linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) in early modern Japan

Oyamada, Joichi; Kitagawa, Yoshikazu; Kato, Katsutomo; Matsushita, Takayuki; Tsurumoto, Toshiyuki; Manabe, Yoshitaka

doi:10.1537/ase.110715

Cited by 13 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…No significant difference was revealed by sex in LEH prevalence or number of LEH per individual in this study. Oyamada et al (), however, demonstrated that females showed higher prevalence than males among both samurai and commoners in Fukuoka. These authors argue that boys were better respected than girls in child‐rearing, as indicated in educational books written in the mid‐18th century and onwards.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Relationship Between Linear Enamel Hypoplasia and Social Status in 18th to 19th Century Edo, Japan

Nakayama

2016

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) has been utilised in human bioarchaeology as an indicator of growth disturbance during childhood. However, only a few studies have compared populations of different socio‐economic status in the same time period. This study examines the association between the LEH occurrence pattern and social status in the 18th to 19th century populations in Japan. Detailed archaeological studies on burials from the Edo period (1603–1867) excavated in Tokyo have facilitated estimating an individual's social status by its burial type. In this study, 112 individuals from the Sugenji‐Shokenji site were divided into three burial structure groups (ceramic jar coffins for middle‐class warriors, wooden square coffins for low‐class warriors and townspeople and wooden circular coffins for townspeople) and examined for the general prevalence of LEH, number of LEH and the chronological distribution of LEH. A high general prevalence of LEH was observed in every group, especially in lower canine (79.3–100.0%). However, individuals in the jar coffin group showed a lower prevalence and smaller number of LEH per tooth, suggesting that individuals of higher social status experienced better living environments in their childhood. There was no significant difference in the chronological distribution of LEH formation between coffin groups. Such data are essential for understanding the association between socio‐economic status and living conditions in specific societies in the past. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The inconsistency of results between this study and Oyamada et al () may be explained by regional differences. The difference in the environment in which male and female children grew up may have existed in Fukuoka, whereas it was not so remarkable in Edo.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship Between Linear Enamel Hypoplasia and Social Status in 18th to 19th Century Edo, Japan

Nakayama

2016

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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“…Goodman and Rose, 1990;Hillson, 1996). These defects are a good indicator of the childhood health status of the ancient human skeletons (Goodman et al, 1980;Duray, 1996;Starling and Stock, 2007;Oyamada et al, 2012). The previous study by Yamamoto (1988) suggested that Edo exhibited the highest frequencies of enamel hypoplasia among Japanese populations and concluded that the Edo people lived under stressful environments such as population concentration and infectious diseases.…”

Section: Enamel Hypoplasiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Demographic and pathological characteristics of the medieval Japanese: new evidence from human skeletons from Kamakura, Japan

Nagaoka

Sawada

Hirata

2013

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The purposes of this study are to conduct paleodemographic and paleopathological analyses of medieval human skeletons from Japan and to clarify their life and death situations. The materials used here were individuals from the Yuigahama-chusei-shudan-bochi site (Seika-ichiba location) (i.e. YCSB-SI), located along the Yuigahama seashore of the southern end of Kamakura City. Several new findings regarding the life and death situations of YCSB-SI were obtained: (1) YCSB-SI exhibited a younger age-at-death distribution than other skeletal series; (2) the frequency of caries lesions in YCSB-SI was 5%, females exhibited more caries lesions than males and this group exhibited the lowest caries prevalence rate among Japanese populations; (3) the frequencies of enamel hypoplasia were 67% in the upper central incisors and 73% in the lower canines, which were almost equal to those of non-medieval series; and (4) the presence of weapon-related traumas on the cranium and limb bones from YCSB-SI was demonstrated. It is inferred from the present and previously reported data that population concentration in Kamakura impacted negatively on the lives of the inhabitants, possibly by malnutrition, increase of infectious diseases, and occasionally death by violence, and that all the results can be consistently explained by assuming urbanization and severe living conditions in medieval Kamakura.

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“…Sex distribution is another factor that can affect the pattern of LEH occurrence in a population. Oyamada et al (2012) demonstrated that Edo period females had higher prevalence of LEH than males in Fukuoka, western Japan. Among the 18th-and 19th-century population in Edo, however, no significant difference in LEH prevalence or number of LEHs per individual was found between sexes in any coffin groups (Nakayama, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…These studies indicate that differences in the proportion of young adults to old adults in a skeletal population can lead to variation in LEH prevalence even if childhood health status is unchanged. As for the sex difference, significant differences in LEH prevalence were found in the Edo period population in Fukuoka, western Japan (Oyamada et al, 2012).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Diachronic changes in linear enamel hypoplasia during the Edo period (1603–1867), Japan

Nakayama

2019

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Linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) is a useful indicator of childhood health. This study aimed at investigating whether there was any diachronic change in LEH occurrence during the Edo period (1603-1867). The Edo period, which experienced no major transition in subsistence and had no largescale contact with foreign population, did undergo various social changes that could have affected childhood health status. The skeletal remains of 144 adult individuals recovered from seven burial sites in Tokyo were examined. Based on historical records and archaeological evidence, these individuals were divided into two time-period groups, the early Edo period and the late Edo period. Each group was then subdivided into the two age-at-death groups of young and old. The late Edo period groups were also divided into coffin-type groups, which reflect their social status. Comparison of general prevalence, frequency distribution, and the mean number of LEHs observed per tooth revealed that the individuals of the late Edo period groups of any coffin type tend to have fewer LEHs than those of the early Edo period groups, and significant differences were found either in the frequency distribution or in the mean number of LEHs per tooth. Considering the possible factors that could affect the result, such as age-atdeath distribution and social status, the observed difference between the time periods can be attributed to diachronic change, which is assumed to be due to improvements in childhood health status during the Edo period. This assumption is compatible with historical evidence suggesting that the living environment in the city of Edo was improving in the 17th century and stabilized in the 18th century as a result of the establishment of basic infrastructure and improvements in public safety. The findings of this study will help us understand childhood health status in a changing society.

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Sex differences in linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) in early modern Japan

Cited by 13 publications

References 26 publications

The Relationship Between Linear Enamel Hypoplasia and Social Status in 18th to 19th Century Edo, Japan

The Relationship Between Linear Enamel Hypoplasia and Social Status in 18th to 19th Century Edo, Japan

Demographic and pathological characteristics of the medieval Japanese: new evidence from human skeletons from Kamakura, Japan

Diachronic changes in linear enamel hypoplasia during the Edo period (1603–1867), Japan

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