Health and demography in late 19th century Kimberley : a palaeopathological assessment

Merwe, A.E. van der (2010)

Doctoral Thesis

One-hundred-and-forty-five unmarked graves were accidentally uncovered outside the Gladstone cemetery in Kimberley, South Africa, in 2003. This study aimed to describe the archaeological findings, demographic composition and health of the unknown human remains excavated from the site. Fifteen graves containing 107 skeletons were exhumed from the trench and analyzed using standard anthropometric techniques. Archaeological and palaeopathological evidence suggested that the remains were most likely those of migrant mine workers who died between 1897 and 1900, with the majority of the population consisting of young male individuals of low socio-economic status. The prevalence of infectious diseases observed in the sample, most likely reflects the pre-antibiotic era from which these individuals came as well as the overcrowded and unhygienic living conditions to which they were exposed on a daily basis. High frequencies of cranial and long bone fractures observed are testimony to the high levels of interpersonal violence and hazardous mining environment described in archival documents. Other pathological lesions such as spondylolysis, Schm_rl's nodes and enthesophytes are possibly indicative of the physical demands associated with mining activities. These results support reports describing the appalling conditions and hazards to which migrant mine workers were exposed to in the late nineteenth century

• Dentalpathology,
• Kimberley
• Migrant labour
• Mining
• Palaeohistopathology
• Palaeopathology
• Skeletal analysis

• All authors: Merwe, A.E. van der
• Supervisor: Maat, G.J.R.; Steyn, M.
• Qualification: Doctor (dr.)
• Awarding Institution: Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden University
• Date: 2010-09-08
• Publisher: Barge's Anthropologica, Leiden
• ISBN (print): 9789078943020