Urbanisation and Child Health in Medieval and Post-Medieval England: An assessment of the morbidity and mortality of non-adult skeletons from the cemetries of two urban and two rural sites in England (AD 850-1859)

Lewis, Mary R.

doi:10.30861/9781841714462

Cited by 19 publications

(24 citation statements)

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“…Archaeological excavations recovered approximately 1600 well-preserved skeletons (Porzeziński, 2012), including the remains of c. 250 subadults (<15 years of age) in different state of preservation. The percentage of subadult burials is then slightly less than 16%, which appears as significant underrepresentation, because the expected value is at least 30% (Lewis, 2007). No systematic information is available on the exact chronology and social status of the individual burials.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…There are in total 435 subadult skeletons, including 257 from Cedynia and 178 from Słaboszewo with available cranial and/or postcranial parts of the skeleton. Age at death was determined on the basis of dental development, according to standards proposed by Moorrees et al (1963aMoorrees et al ( ,1963b and tabulated by Smith (1991) and Lewis (1999). Data on bone lengths and epiphysial fusion from various studies, gathered by Black (2000, 2004) and Schaefer et al (2009), were used for a few cases, when there were no teeth preserved.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pathological changes were documented by recording forms and photographs. Erosive lesions and new bone formation observed on the auditory ossicles were recorded (Sade et al, 1981;Roberts and Manchester, 2005;Lewis, 2007). We wanted to include only evident cases of ossicular pathologies.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They show rather low morphometric variation (Arensburg et al, 1981;Sakalinskas and Jankauskas, 1991). The ossicles attain their final size and morphology in prenatal life (Scheuer and Black, 2000;Chen et al, 2008;Mansour et al, 2013), thus pathological changes are as apparent in subadult as in adult skeletons (Lewis, 2007). Erosive lesions and new bone formation observed on the ossicles are regarded as the signs of the chronic form of inflammatory diseases of the middle ear (otitis media, OM) (Roberts and Manchester, 2005;Lewis, 2007;Aufderheide and Rodríguez-Martín, 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ear bones have been only occasionally examined in skeletal populations. The majority of the studies relate to adult individuals, although OM is generally a childhood disease and usually occurs under the age of 4 years (Roberts and Manchester, 2005;Lewis, 2007;Aufderheide and Rodríguez-Martín, 1998). The Eustachian tube, which equalises air pressure on either side of the eardrum and drains mucus from the middle ear, is shorter, wider and more horizontal in infants than in adults.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Skeletal Evidence for Otitis Media in Mediaeval and Post‐Mediaeval Children from Poland, Central Europe

Krenz‐Niedbała

Łukasik

2016

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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In palaeopathological research, otitis media (OM) is a rarely reported disease, although it is one of the most common diseases of childhood, with potentially severe consequences resulting in physical and social impairment, or even death. The episodes of OM are often preceded by upper respiratory tract infections, though the aetiology of OM is multifactorial, with significant role of environmental factors. In archaeological skeletons, middle ear inflammation is identified as erosive lesions and new bone formation of auditory ossicles. The aim of this study was to examine the skeletal signs of OM in children from a mediaeval early urban site (Cedynia) and a post‐mediaeval rural site (Słaboszewo) located on the territory of Poland. Among the entire sample (N = 435), ear bones were present in 99 skeletons. The total of 168 ossicles were examined. The general frequency of individuals with eroded ossicles was 47.5% (53.4% in Cedynia and 39.0% in Słaboszewo). In the total sample, 33.9% of ear bones showed pathological changes, with the incudes being most frequently affected. The frequency of altered ossicles was significantly higher in the early urban site than in the rural settlement (42.2% vs 25.9%, respectively; Fisher exact test, p = 0.0339). The children aged 0–3 years old tend to have a higher frequency of altered ear bones than the children aged 4–11 years old. The majority of the mastoid processes of the subadults with ear bone erosion show abnormal pneumatisation pattern. The results indicate that the environmental and socio‐cultural conditions in the stronghold likely made their inhabitants more prone to upper respiratory tract infections than the inhabitants of the village. A variety of factors may be responsible for this pattern, such as exposure to dust, environmental pollution, indoor pollution, wood smoke, occupation, population density, sanitation and quality of housing. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Skeletal Evidence for Otitis Media in Mediaeval and Post‐Mediaeval Children from Poland, Central Europe

Krenz‐Niedbała

Łukasik

2016

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Impact of industrialization: Comparative study of child health in four sites from medieval and postmedieval England (A.D. 850–1859)

Lewis

2002

American J Phys Anthropol

139

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The morbidity and mortality profiles of 831 non-adult skeletons from four contrasting sites in medieval and postmedieval England were compared to assess whether urbanization and later industrialization, had a detrimental effect on the health of the inhabitants. Failure in the population's ability to adapt to these environments should be evident in the higher rates of mortality, retarded growth, higher levels of stress, and a greater prevalence of metabolic and infectious disease in the urban groups. Non-adult skeletons were examined from Raunds Furnells in Northamptonshire, from St. Helen-on-the-Walls and Wharram Percy in Yorkshire, and from Christ Church Spitalfields in London. Results showed that a greater number of older children were being buried at the later medieval sites and that the skeletal growth profiles of the medieval urban and rural children did not differ significantly. A comparison of the growth profiles of St. Helen-on-the-Walls (urban) and Spitalfields (industrial) showed that the Spitalfields children were up to 3 cm shorter than their later medieval counterparts. At Spitalfields, cribra orbitalia and enamel hypoplasias occurred during the first 6 months of life, and 54% of the non-adults had evidence of metabolic disease. It is argued that differences in the morbidity and mortality of non-adults from urban and rural environments did exist in the past, but that it was industrialization that had the greatest impact on child health. Environmental conditions, urban employment, socioeconomic status, and changes in weaning ages and infant feeding practices contributed to differences in health in rural, urban, and industrial environments.

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From the mouths of babes: Dental caries in infants and children and the intensification of agriculture in mainland Southeast Asia

Halcrow

Harris

Tayles

et al. 2013

American J Phys Anthropol

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Many bioarchaeological studies have established a link between increased dental caries prevalence and the intensification of agriculture. However, research in Southeast Asia challenges the global application of this theory. Although often overlooked, dental health of infants and children can provide a sensitive source of information concerning health and subsistence change. This article investigates the prevalence and location of caries in the dentition of infants and children (less than 15 years of age) from eight prehistoric mainland Southeast Asian sites collectively spanning the Neolithic to late Iron Age, during which time rice agriculture became an increasingly important subsistence mode. Caries prevalence varied among the sites but there was no correlation with chronological change. The absence of evidence of a decline in dental health over time can be attributed to the relative noncariogenicity of rice and retention of broad-spectrum subsistence strategies. No differences in caries type indicating differences in dental health were found between the sites, apart from the Iron Age site of Muang Sema. There was a higher prevalence of caries in the deciduous dentition than the permanent dentition, likely due to a cariogenic weaning diet and the higher sensitivity of deciduous teeth to decay. The level of caries in the permanent dentition suggests an increased reliance on less cariogenic foods during childhood, including rice. The absence of a temporal decline in dental health of infants and children strengthens the argument that the relationship between caries and agricultural intensification in Southeast Asia was more complex than the general model suggests.

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Urbanisation and Child Health in Medieval and Post-Medieval England: An assessment of the morbidity and mortality of non-adult skeletons from the cemetries of two urban and two rural sites in England (AD 850-1859)

Cited by 19 publications

References 0 publications

Skeletal Evidence for Otitis Media in Mediaeval and Post‐Mediaeval Children from Poland, Central Europe

Skeletal Evidence for Otitis Media in Mediaeval and Post‐Mediaeval Children from Poland, Central Europe

Impact of industrialization: Comparative study of child health in four sites from medieval and postmedieval England (A.D. 850–1859)

From the mouths of babes: Dental caries in infants and children and the intensification of agriculture in mainland Southeast Asia

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