‘Til Poison Phosphorous Brought them Death’: A potentially occupationally-related disease in a post-medieval skeleton from north-east England.

Roberts, Charlotte A.; Caffell, Anwen; Filipek-Ogden, Kori Lea; Gowland, Rebecca; Jakob, Tina

doi:10.1016/j.ijpp.2015.12.001

Cited by 26 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 72 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The aforementioned changes are consistent with that observed in other cases (Capasso et al, ; Roberts, Caffell, Filipek‐Ogden, Gowland, & Jakob, ) and can be recognized as phosphorus necrosis; the condition results from prolonged contact with white/yellow phosphorus—most likely in an industrial context. The sequestrum in the mandible, which usually originates from the necrotic process, is absent in the present case; because there are no signs of surgical intervention to remove the dead bone, the missing fragment was likely lost during archaeological recovery.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

Health and safety issues in the Victorian workplace: An example of mandibular phosphorus necrosis from Gloucester, UK

Valoriani

Eliopoulos

Irish

et al. 2019

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Working conditions in factories during the Industrial Era in Great Britain have been linked to numerous occupational diseases. In this paper, the authors present a case study from Victorian Gloucester, where skeletal remains of a young male recovered from the Southgate Street 3/89 excavation exhibit osteonecrosis on the left mandibular ramus, a condition known as "phossy jaw." The case is examined in terms of macroscopic characteristics, distribution and severity of lesions, and differential diagnosis.The lesions consist of extensive bone necrosis with periosteal reaction and subperiosteal new bone formation that affects the left side of the mandible. Conditions that may have produced similar changes were considered and include various forms of neoplasms, actinomycosis, and taphonomic alterations. However, these are rejected as they are not supported by the lesion characteristics.Additional supportive evidence for the case of phosphorus necrosis is offered by the historical context: In the 19th century, Gloucester was one of the main centres for match manufacture, and it is well known that individuals who were directly exposed to phosphorus fumes developed a condition known as "phossy jaw."The potential contribution of the current analysis in our understanding of working conditions in Victorian Gloucester is evaluated.

show abstract

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

Health and safety issues in the Victorian workplace: An example of mandibular phosphorus necrosis from Gloucester, UK

Valoriani

Eliopoulos

Irish

et al. 2019

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A more in‐depth study of vertebral growth within this site identified that this lag occurs between 9 and 16 years of age (Newman & Gowland, ). There is evidence that children within the Coach Lane community were employed in local industries (whether in the home, or in factories), with one non‐adult aged 12–14 years suffering from phossy jaw, a necrotizing condition occurring from exposure to phosphorus, common in matchmaking (Roberts, Caffell, Filipek‐Ogden, Gowland, & Jakob, ). However, deficiencies seen in growth are also likely to have their origins in the well‐documented paucities in nutrition and environment experienced within the family home, so these data cannot be definitively attributed to child labor practices (Kirby, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

North and south: A comprehensive analysis of non‐adult growth and health in the industrial revolution (AD 18th–19th C), England

Newman

Gowland

Caffell

2019

American J Phys Anthropol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: Stark health inequalities exist in the present day between the North and South of England, with people in the South, overall, experiencing better health across a range of parameters (e.g., life expectancy and number of years spent in good health). Bioarchaeological studies of skeletal remains from cemeteries across this geographical divide have the ability to provide a temporal perspective on the etiology, longevity, and nature of this disparity. Methods: In total 574 non-adults (0-17 years) from six urban sites (c. AD 1711-1856) were analyzed from the North and South of England. Measurements of long bone length, cortical thickness, and vertebral dimensions were analyzed alongside both skeletal and dental palaeopathological data to assess patterns of disease and growth disruption between skeletal samples. Results: There were few significant differences in growth parameters between the six sites in relation to geographical location. However, the northern-based sample Coach Lane (North Shields) demonstrated some of the highest rates of pathology, with metabolic disease being particularly prevalent. Discussion: Northern and southern populations suffered alike from the detrimental environmental conditions associated with urban centers of the 18th-19th centuries. However, the elevated prevalence of vitamin D deficiency seen within the Coach Lane sample is indicative of a regionally specific risk that may be related to latitude, and/or the influence of particular industries operating in the North-East. K E Y W O R D S palaeopathology, post-medieval, stature, vertebral growth, vitamin D deficiency

show abstract

“…The effects of a heavily polluted environment, however, would have been detrimental to all social classes (Gowland and Newman 2018). There is direct evidence that at least some of the children buried at the site had been engaged in factory labor, with the skeleton of one individual (aged 12-14 years) possibly exhibiting the notorious occupational condition "Phossy Jaw" -osteonecrosis of the mandible typically caused by exposure to phosphorus during match-making (Roberts et al 2016). In contrast to Fewston, the Coach Lane cemetery was excavated in its entirety (Procter et al 2014) and consisted of 236 individuals, 81 of whom were non-adults (under 20 years of age).…”

Section: Coach Lane North Shieldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Broken Childhoods: Rural and Urban Non-Adult Health during the Industrial Revolution in Northern England (Eighteenth–Nineteenth Centuries)

Gowland

Caffell

Newman

et al. 2018

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.

show abstract

‘Til Poison Phosphorous Brought them Death’: A potentially occupationally-related disease in a post-medieval skeleton from north-east England.

Cited by 26 publications

References 72 publications

Health and safety issues in the Victorian workplace: An example of mandibular phosphorus necrosis from Gloucester, UK

Health and safety issues in the Victorian workplace: An example of mandibular phosphorus necrosis from Gloucester, UK

North and south: A comprehensive analysis of non‐adult growth and health in the industrial revolution (AD 18th–19th C), England

Broken Childhoods: Rural and Urban Non-Adult Health during the Industrial Revolution in Northern England (Eighteenth–Nineteenth Centuries)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About