Infectious and metabolic diseases: a synergistic bioarchaeology

Roberts, CA; Brickley, M

Infectious and metabolic diseases: a synergistic bioarchaeology

Roberts, CA; Brickley, M

Authors

Professor Charlotte Roberts c.a.roberts@durham.ac.uk
Emeritus Professor

M Brickley

Contributors

MA Katzenberg
Editor

AL Grauer
Editor

Abstract

Palaeopathologists have a long history of recording and interpreting evidence for infectious and metabolic diseases seen globally in preserved bodies and skeletons from archaeological sites. People today often experience co-morbidities, as did our ancestors, but little specific research in paleopathology has addressed synergies between these two categories of disease. The chapter starts by introducing these health challenges from a clinical perspective, and then considers the types of evidence used to detect them in the past, and the many methods available for recording and interpretation (macroscopic, biomolecular, histological, imaging, parasite analysis). This is followed by exploring links between leprosy and tuberculosis and vitamin D deficiency, leprosy and osteopenia/osteoporosis, the Developmental Origins Hypothesis and metabolic and infectious disease, and Paget’s disease of bone and infection. It is concluded that palaeopathology is in an excellent position, theoretically and methodologically, to contribute to our understanding of disease synergies in the past, thereby providing the evolutionary time depth for present understanding.

Citation

Roberts, C., & Brickley, M. (2018). Infectious and metabolic diseases: a synergistic bioarchaeology. In M. Katzenberg, & A. Grauer (Eds.), Biological anthropology of the human skeleton (415-446). (3rd ed.). Wiley

Publication Date	Aug 1, 2018
Deposit Date	Oct 25, 2017
Publicly Available Date	Aug 1, 2020
Publisher	Wiley
Pages	415-446
Edition	3rd ed.
Book Title	Biological anthropology of the human skeleton.
Publisher URL	https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Biological+Anthropology+of+the+Human+Skeleton%2C+3rd+Edition-p-9781119151647