The most common cause of vitamin D deficiency is inadequate dermal exposure to sunlight. Residual rickets is nonadult vitamin D deficiency still evident in an adult individual, whereas osteomalacia... Show moreThe most common cause of vitamin D deficiency is inadequate dermal exposure to sunlight. Residual rickets is nonadult vitamin D deficiency still evident in an adult individual, whereas osteomalacia occurs in adulthood. Previous research on the Beemster population, a 19th century rural community in the Netherlands, identified rickets in 30.4% of the nonadults between the ages of two and four years (n =7/23). Because the sex of these nonadults was not known it was not possible to determine if there were differences between boys and girls. To overcome this gap in our knowledge, the aim of this paper is to determine if there are gender related differences in vitamin D deficiency in the Beemster skeletal collection, based on adults with residual rickets and osteomalacia. Out of 200 adults (100 females; 100 males) no cases of osteomalacia were detected. However, there were 29 cases of residual rickets (14.5%), with 21 of those cases in females (21.0%; 21/100). A complex interplay of multiple factors is proposed to have affected vitamin D levels in nonadults, including sociocultural variables such as gender-based labour norms. This research highlights the importance of continuing to explore gender-based health differences in past populations. Show less
Saers, J.; Hoogland, M.L.P.; Rijn, R. van; Schats, R.; Merwe, A.E. van der; Waters-Rist, A.L. 2017
This study combines historical data and the principles of bone functional adaptation to examine variation in terrestrial mobility in men and women from pre-industrial urban (Alkmaar 7M, 9F) and... Show moreThis study combines historical data and the principles of bone functional adaptation to examine variation in terrestrial mobility in men and women from pre-industrial urban (Alkmaar 7M, 9F) and rural (Klaaskinderkerke 12M, 8F; Middenbeemster 21M, 22F) Dutch populations. Cross-sectional properties of the femoral and tibial midshaft are determined to investigate variation in lower limb mechanical loading. All populations had comparable age ranges. Rural Middenbeemster males had significantly more elliptically shaped tibiae compared to the other populations. Rural males from Klaaskinderkerke had significantly greater femoral cross-sectional area and torsional rigidity compared to females. In the tibia, the males from both rural populations had greater torsional rigidity and cross-sectional area compared to females. In the rural Middenbeemster population the males also had significantly more elliptically shaped tibiae compared to females. While no sexual dimorphism was found in the urban Alkmaar, significantly greater variation in lower limb cross-sectional properties was found for both males and females relative to the rural populations. These results conform to predictions based on the historical literature of greater lower limb loading in rural males compared to females as well as a greater variety of tasks performed in urban environments. The lack of significant differences in lower limb torsional rigidity or shape between populations in either sex suggests that rural life was not necessarily more physically strenuous than urban life in pre-industrial Dutch populations. However, variation in sexual dimorphism suggests that labor between males and females was differently organized in the rural and urban samples. Show less
Boer, H.H. de; Merwe, A.E. van der; Hammer, S.; Steyn, M.; Maat, G.J.R. 2015
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,... Show moreOne-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 Show less
