Craniometric characteristics have long been used to reconstruct among-group variation, potential migration routes and ancestral origins. This study presents results of the comparison of 946 individuals from 16 British medieval sites using... more
Craniometric characteristics have long been used to reconstruct among-group variation, potential migration routes and ancestral origins. This study presents results of the comparison of 946 individuals from 16 British medieval sites using craniometric analyses. The purpose is to determine: 1) if observable cranial variation exists among British medieval groups, 2) whether it can best be detected from neurocranial or facial measurements, and 3) the potential causes of these differences. The data were analyzed with multivariate statistical analyses. A selection of 18 variables recorded on each cranium was used for comparison among separately pooled males and females for each site. Principal component analysis was carried out on the mean measurements for these pooled samples to detect differences. The results support findings from previous studies indicating a observable difference in measurements among British samples. Male and female samples follow the same grouping pattern, indicating the validity of the statistical analysis. Both neurocranial and facial measurements contribute to the variability of the groups analyzed. The differences in craniometric measurements are likely determined by immigration from other European areas. Samples from British towns where migration occurred more frequently during and before the Middle Ages (i.e., Hythe, London and Scarborough) support this difference. These towns were major ports, and the movement of people was frequent, with various migrant groups selectively populating them (e.g., Scandinavian, Icelandic, Flemish, French). This is supported by correspondence of the results with historical and archaeological records.
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Hyperdontia data in modern and premodern sub-Saharan Africans are presented by region-West, Central, East, and South, and sex. Beyond describing the anomaly, comparisons are made with other world populations and future work is promoted.... more
Hyperdontia data in modern and premodern sub-Saharan Africans are presented by region-West, Central, East, and South, and sex. Beyond describing the anomaly, comparisons are made with other world populations and future work is promoted. These findings may be useful to both dental clinicians and anthropologists. Methods: Hyperdontia presence and patterning were recorded in 51 samples of skeletal dentitions and hardstone casts (n = 1916). Its infrequency prompted regional pooling after grouping by time. Only adults were included to record later forming fourth molars reportedly common in Africans. Quantitative analyses, including 95% confidence intervals, were conducted to characterize spatiotemporally sub-Saharan peoples. Results: Forty-four of 1429 modern individuals (3.08%) exhibit hyperdontia (CI 2.24-4.13%). Regional variation is significant, particularly West-Central vs. East-South, between 6.8% and 1.5%. Four of 487 premodern individuals, 0.82%, have hyperdontia (0.22-2.10%), with minimal regional differences. Males are most affected, as reported by other researchers. Other similarities with non-African research are evident regarding isomere, antimere, and form, with one key exception-a proclivity for the posterior over anterior maxilla. Conclusions: 3.08% is toward the upper end of published world ranges, including an oft-cited 0.1-3.6 + %. However, the regional variation argues against a single prevalence to describe collectively the subcontinental inhabitants. This variation parallels past west to east and south migrations like other biocultural indicators. Thus, beyond a health concern to clinicians or interesting anomaly to anthropologists, hyperdontia may be useful in other studies. There are no equivalent premodern ranges for comparison. Similarity in patterning overall to previous findings suggests a shared, potentially ancient genetic component in expression.
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Some researchers posit population continuity between Late Palaeolithic hunter–gatherers of the late Pleistocene and Holocene agriculturalists from Lower (northern) Nubia, in northeast Africa. Substantial craniodental differences in these... more
Some researchers posit population continuity between Late Palaeolithic hunter–gatherers of the late Pleistocene and Holocene agriculturalists from Lower (northern) Nubia, in northeast Africa. Substantial craniodental differences in these time-successive groups are suggested to result from <i>in situ</i> evolution. Specifically, these populations are considered a model example for subsistence-related selection worldwide in the transition to agriculture. Others question continuity, with findings indicating that the largely homogeneous Holocene populations differ significantly from late Pleistocene Lower Nubians. If the latter are representative of the local populace, post-Pleistocene discontinuity is implied. So who was ancestral to the Holocene agriculturalists? Dental morphological analyses of 18 samples (1075 individuals), including one dated to the 12th millennium BCE from Al Khiday, near the Upper Nubian border, may provide an answer. It is the first Late Palaeolithic...
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... The site, located in Upper Egypt&amp;#x27;s Western Desert, some 250km southwest of Aswan and 25 km northwest of Nabta Playa (see ... The girl&amp;#x27;s maxilla held both man-dibular and incorrectly placed maxillary teeth... more
... The site, located in Upper Egypt&amp;#x27;s Western Desert, some 250km southwest of Aswan and 25 km northwest of Nabta Playa (see ... The girl&amp;#x27;s maxilla held both man-dibular and incorrectly placed maxillary teeth which were apparently reinserted by the Neo-lithic gravedigger(s ...
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Some researchers posit population continuity between Late Palaeolithic hunter–gatherers of the late Pleistocene and Holocene agriculturalists from Lower (northern) Nubia, in northeast Africa. Substantial craniodental differences in these... more
Some researchers posit population continuity between Late Palaeolithic hunter–gatherers of the late Pleistocene and Holocene agriculturalists from Lower (northern) Nubia, in northeast Africa. Substantial craniodental differences in these time-successive groups are suggested to result from in situ evolution. Specifically, these populations are considered a model example for subsistence-related selection worldwide in the transition to agriculture. Others question continuity, with findings indicating that the largely homogeneous Holocene populations differ significantly from late Pleistocene Lower Nubians. If the latter are representative of the local populace, post-Pleistocene discontinuity is implied. So who was ancestral to the Holocene agriculturalists? Dental morphological analyses of 18 samples (1075 individuals), including one dated to the 12th millennium BCE from Al Khiday, near the Upper Nubian border, may provide an answer. It is the first Late Palaeolithic sample (n = 55) re...
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The paranthropines, including Paranthropus boisei and Paranthropus robustus, have often been considered hard-food specialists. The large post-canine teeth, thick enamel, and robust craniofacial features are often suggested to have evolved... more
The paranthropines, including Paranthropus boisei and Paranthropus robustus, have often been considered hard-food specialists. The large post-canine teeth, thick enamel, and robust craniofacial features are often suggested to have evolved to cope with habitual mastication of hard foods. Yet, direct evidence for Paranthropus feeding behaviour often challenges these morphological interpretations. The main exception being antemortem tooth chipping which is still regularly used as evidence of habitual mastication of hard foods in this genus. In this study, data were compiled from the literature for six hominin species (including P. boisei and P. robustus) and 17 extant primate species, to analyse Paranthropus chipping patterns in a broad comparative framework. Severity of fractures, position on the dentition, and overall prevalence were compared among species. The results indicate that both Paranthropus species had a lower prevalence of tooth fractures compared to other fossil hominin s...
This chapter details and expands upon the quantitative techniques in a separate study by the author to assess the credibility of ethnic group affiliations assigned to individuals in seven “Bantu” samples from the Dart Collection of Human... more
This chapter details and expands upon the quantitative techniques in a separate study by the author to assess the credibility of ethnic group affiliations assigned to individuals in seven “Bantu” samples from the Dart Collection of Human Skeletons; the potentially subjective way in which these affiliations were determined in the mid-20th century may call some into question. To address that objective, analyses of dental nonmetric data with the mean measure of divergence (MMD) yielded phenetic and, by extension, genetic intersample affinities for comparison with documented population relationships. Here the focus is on the MMD methods; the same is also now presented for the nonmetric Mahalanobis D 2 statistic during the course of analyzing these same samples. With some exceptions, both methods provide comparable results. Taken together, it is indicated that most if not all individuals in at least five samples were accurately identified. An abridged version of these findings is included.
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This paper describes a newly de-fined nonmetric trait in the human dentition, i.e., Hypotrophic Roots of the Upper Central Incisors (HRUCI). Teeth presenting HRUCI are character-ized by abnormally short roots whose crowns exhibit no... more
This paper describes a newly de-fined nonmetric trait in the human dentition, i.e., Hypotrophic Roots of the Upper Central Incisors (HRUCI). Teeth presenting HRUCI are character-ized by abnormally short roots whose crowns exhibit no apparent morphological alterations. The trait was observed in six samples from collec-tive funerary sites in the Iberian Peninsula dated from the Late Neolithic to the Chalcolithic period.
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Once considered rare in fossil hominins, caries has recently been reported in several hominin species, requiring a new assessment of this condition during human evolution. Caries prevalence and location on the teeth of South African... more
Once considered rare in fossil hominins, caries has recently been reported in several hominin species, requiring a new assessment of this condition during human evolution. Caries prevalence and location on the teeth of South African fossil hominins were observed and compared with published data from other hominin samples. Teeth were viewed macroscopically, with lesion position and severity noted and described. For all South African fossil hominin specimens studied to date, a total of 10 carious teeth (14 lesions), including 4 described for the first time here, have been observed. These carious teeth were found in a minimum of seven individuals, including five Paranthropus robustus, one early Homo, and one Homo naledi. All 14 lesions affected posterior teeth. The results suggest cariogenic biofilms and foods may have been present in the oral environment of a wide variety of hominins. Caries prevalence in studied fossil hominins is similar to those in pre-agricultural human groups, in...
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Bailey et al. (1) describe a lower second molar with 3 roots in a Denisovan hemimandible dated 160,000 ka. The presence of a third root is stated to occur in <3.5% of non-Asians and in up to 40% of Asians and some New World... more
Bailey et al. (1) describe a lower second molar with 3 roots in a Denisovan hemimandible dated 160,000 ka. The presence of a third root is stated to occur in <3.5% of non-Asians and in up to 40% of Asians and some New World populations. From this, they conclude the feature “provides morphological evidence of a strong link between archaic and recent Asian H[omo] sapiens populations. This link provides compelling evidence that modern Asian lineages acquired the 3-rooted lower molar via introgression from Denisovans” (ref. 1, p. 14806). However, there are 2 problems regarding this statement: [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: grscott{at}unr.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
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: Twenty-seven prehistoric archaeological sites were resurveyed and nine of these were tested to assess site type, cultural affiliation, current condition, and data potential. Cultural materials included over 4,000 lithic and ceramic... more
: Twenty-seven prehistoric archaeological sites were resurveyed and nine of these were tested to assess site type, cultural affiliation, current condition, and data potential. Cultural materials included over 4,000 lithic and ceramic artifacts ranging from the Early Archaic through the Late Woodland and Oneota periods. Geomorphological studies resulted in the formulation of generalized land form models which clarify relationships between geomorphic features and site distributions. (Author)
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Abstract : Contents: Research Procedures; Site Descriptions; Data Analysis: Lithic Materials, Ceramic Materials, Historic Materials, Organic Materials.
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Abstract : Contents: Research Procedures; Site Descriptions; Data Analysis: Lithic Materials, Ceramic Materials, Historic Materials, Organic Materials.
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: Contents: Research Procedures; Site Descriptions; Data Analysis: Lithic Materials, Ceramic Materials, Historic Materials, Organic Materials.
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Research Interests: Geography, Neolithic Archaeology, Infant burial (Archaeology), North African prehistory (Archaeology), Neolithic, and 8 moreArchaeology of burials, Archaeology of death and burial, Cemeteries, Death and Burial Archaeology, Cemetery Studies, Neolithic of the Near East, neolithic of NE Africa, and Burial Practices Archaeology
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Dental pathology and wear data can provide valuable insights into diet, cultural practices, and the health of populations. In this study, various dental pathologies and types of wear were recorded for 41 individuals (914 permanent teeth),... more
Dental pathology and wear data can provide valuable insights into diet, cultural practices, and the health of populations. In this study, various dental pathologies and types of wear were recorded for 41 individuals (914 permanent teeth), excavated from the medieval cemetery of St. Owens Church in Southgate Street, Gloucester. Teeth were studied macroscopically with a 10x hand lens to confirm the presence of specific pathologies. Relatively high rates of antemortem chipping on the anterior teeth, and the presence of maxillary central incisor notches, suggested that the Gloucester population commonly used their teeth for non-masticatory activities. Abscessing and antemortem tooth loss fell within previously reported ranges for British medieval sites (2.6% and 6% respectively). However, the sample exhibits extremely high levels of carious lesions and calculus. Nearly 24% of teeth have at least one carious lesion, and the presence of calculus was recorded in 74% of teeth within the sam...
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Abscesses and other periapical lesions are found in abundance in recent archeological samples, yet are scarce in the fossil hominin record. Periapical voids commonly develop after exposure of a tooth’s pulp chamber and are commonly... more
Abscesses and other periapical lesions are found in abundance in recent archeological samples, yet are scarce in the fossil hominin record. Periapical voids commonly develop after exposure of a tooth’s pulp chamber and are commonly associated with heavy crown wear, trauma or caries. In this study, all available maxilla and mandible fragments from the South African fossil hominin collections were studied, including specimens assigned to Homo naledi, Paranthropus robustus, Australopithicus africanus, A. sediba and early Homo. Only one specimen displayed voids consistent with periapical lesions, and a differential diagnosis of these voids was undertaken. The specimen, SK 847, is described as early Homo and has been dated to 2.3-1.65MA. There is one definite abscess, and likely at least two more with postmortem damage, all on the anterior aspect of the maxilla and associated with the incisors. The abscesses originate from the apices of the incisor roots and are therefore unlikely to rep...
Objectives Dental caries is often perceived as a modern human disease. However, their presence is documented in many early human groups, various non-human primates and, increasingly, our hominin ancestors and relatives. In this study we... more
Objectives Dental caries is often perceived as a modern human disease. However, their presence is documented in many early human groups, various non-human primates and, increasingly, our hominin ancestors and relatives. In this study we describe an antemortem lesion on the root of a Paranthropus robustus third molar from Drimolen, South Africa, which likely represents another example of caries in fossil hominins. Materials and Methods The molar, DNH 40, is dated to 2.0-1.5 Ma and displays a lesion on the mesial root surface, extending from the cementoenamel junction 3 mm down toward the apex. The position and severity of the lesion was macroscopically recorded and micro CT scanned to determine the extent of dentine involvement. Results A differential diagnosis indicates root caries, as the lesion is indistinguishable from clinical examples. Although necrotic in appearance, external tertiary dentine is evident on a micro-CT scan. Gingival recession and/or continuous eruption of the t...
In the 1980s Edward Harris proposed an approach using principal components analysis to compare mesiodistal and buccolingual crown diameters in humans. A major goal was to remove overall “size” from the measurements – which is ineffective... more
In the 1980s Edward Harris proposed an approach using principal components analysis to compare mesiodistal and buccolingual crown diameters in humans. A major goal was to remove overall “size” from the measurements – which is ineffective for biological affinity. Relative size, however, is important, i.e., to assess how it is apportioned along the tooth rows. To get at such data, Harris utilized three size predictors in multiple linear regression to calculate PC 1 residuals, which were then used with other uncorrected components in analysis.Here we demonstrate that it is still an effective method, by comparing 32 MD and BL measurements in 12 (n=712) and 18 (n=1251) samples from sub-Saharan and North Africa. Plotting of the first three components (50% of variance) shows clear separation between regions. North Africans are characterized by: 1) small LI1s, and BL dimensions of the UM1, LI2, and LM1, and 2) large MD diameters of the UM2 and LM1, and BL diameters of the LM2 and LM3. Compa...
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This paper describes a newly defined nonmetric trait in the human dentition, i.e., Hypotrophic Roots of the Upper Central Incisors (HRUCI). Teeth presenting HRUCI are characterized by abnormally short roots whose crowns exhibit no... more
This paper describes a newly defined nonmetric trait in the human dentition, i.e., Hypotrophic Roots of the Upper Central Incisors (HRUCI). Teeth presenting HRUCI are characterized by abnormally short roots whose crowns exhibit no apparent morphological alterations. The trait was observed in six samples from collective funerary sites in the Iberian Peninsula dated from the Late Neolithic to the Chalcolithic period.
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Attempts by anthropologists to account for the peopling of the Canary Islands have led to theories that call for one, two, and even four immigration events. However, most agree the Canary Island Guanche are biologically closest to Berbers... more
Attempts by anthropologists to account for the peopling of the Canary Islands have led to theories that call for one, two, and even four immigration events. However, most agree the Canary Island Guanche are biologically closest to Berbers from Morocco and Algeria. Genetic contributions from Arabs, Romans, and Carthaginians have also been proposed. An earlier study by Irish using Penrose analysis of odontometric data in samples of Guanche, Shawia and Kabyle Berbers, and Bedouin Arabs supports many of these proposed genetic relationships.The present investigation expands upon this earlier work by adding samples of Carthaginians, Egyptians, and Nubians, and by using tooth size apportionment analysis, a more robust statistical approach for assessing inter-sample differences in the distribution, or allocation, of tooth size in the maxillary and mandibular dental arcades. The analysis yielded three components that account for >80% of the total variance. Cluster analysis and three-dimen...
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Excavations at the Gebel Ramlah cemetery, in Upper Egypt’s Western Desert, have provided numerous data concerning mortuary practices of the local Final Neolithic period populace. Previous articles have chronicled treatment of disturbed... more
Excavations at the Gebel Ramlah cemetery, in Upper Egypt’s Western Desert, have provided numerous data concerning mortuary practices of the local Final Neolithic period populace. Previous articles have chronicled treatment of disturbed inhumations, in which great care had been taken to recover and rebury all grave goods and skeletal elements including, most notably, dental remains. In several cases, the Neolithic gravediggers apparently went so far as to reinsert, or to in other ways reincorporate, teeth that had fallen from their alveoli during handling. This report describes and interprets a new find, i.e., an anatomically accurate, life-size shell carving of a human incisor, that provides additional insight into the apparent importance of teeth to these desert people.
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Tooth root grooves and other ante-mortem dental tissue loss, not associated with caries found on or near the cementoenamel junction (CEJ), are commonly termed non-carious cervical lesions. Three main processes are implicated in forming... more
Tooth root grooves and other ante-mortem dental tissue loss, not associated with caries found on or near the cementoenamel junction (CEJ), are commonly termed non-carious cervical lesions. Three main processes are implicated in forming these lesions: abrasion, dental erosion, and abfraction. As yet, these lesions have not been described in non-Homo hominins. In this study, South African fossil hominin collections were examined for evidence of any type of non-carious cervical lesion. Only one individual shows ante-mortem root grooves consistent with non-carious cervical lesions. Two teeth, a mandibular right permanent lateral incisor (STW 270) and canine (STW 213), belonging to the same Australopithecus africanus individual, show clear ante-mortem grooves on the labial root surface. These lesions start below the CEJ, extend over a third of the way toward the apex, and taper to a point towards the lingual side. The characteristics of these grooves suggest the predominant aetiology was...
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Although the evolution of the hominin masticatory apparatus has been linked to diet and food processing, the physical connection between neurocranium and lower jaw suggests a role of encephalization in the trend of dental and mandibular... more
Although the evolution of the hominin masticatory apparatus has been linked to diet and food processing, the physical connection between neurocranium and lower jaw suggests a role of encephalization in the trend of dental and mandibular reduction. Here, the hypothesis that tooth size and mandibular robusticity are influenced by morphological changes in the neurocranium was tested. Three-dimensional landmarks, alveolar lengths, and mandibular robusticity data were recorded on a sample of chimpanzee and human skulls. The morphological integration between the neurocranium and the lower jaw was analyzed by means of Singular Warps Analysis. Redundancy Analysis was performed to understand if the pattern of neuromandibular integration affects tooth size and mandibular robusticity. There is significant morphological covariation between neurocranium and lower jaw in both chimpanzees and humans. In humans, changes in the temporal fossa seem to produce alterations of the relative orientation o...
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Despite broad agreement that the Americas were initially populated via Beringia, the land bridge that connected far northeast Asia with northwestern North America during the Pleistocene epoch, when and how the peopling of the Americas... more
Despite broad agreement that the Americas were initially populated via Beringia, the land bridge that connected far northeast Asia with northwestern North America during the Pleistocene epoch, when and how the peopling of the Americas occurred remains unresolved. Analyses of human remains from Late Pleistocene Alaska are important to resolving the timing and dispersal of these populations. The remains of two infants were recovered at Upward Sun River (USR), and have been dated to around 11.5 thousand years ago (ka). Here, by sequencing the USR1 genome to an average coverage of approximately 17 times, we show that USR1 is most closely related to Native Americans, but falls basal to all previously sequenced contemporary and ancient Native Americans. As such, USR1 represents a distinct Ancient Beringian population. Using demographic modelling, we infer that the Ancient Beringian population and ancestors of other Native Americans descended from a single founding population that initiall...
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... Kenya 20th cent. AD Kenya (KEN) Kenya, Tanzania Kikuyu, Swahili, Chaga, ... Moreover, the &amp;#x27;B-Group&amp;#x27; (again see Table 1) is no longer considered a distinct Nubian cultural period; thus, there is no... more
... Kenya 20th cent. AD Kenya (KEN) Kenya, Tanzania Kikuyu, Swahili, Chaga, ... Moreover, the &amp;#x27;B-Group&amp;#x27; (again see Table 1) is no longer considered a distinct Nubian cultural period; thus, there is no corresponding dental sample in this one case. Kenya (KEN) consists of Bantu-...
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A variety of mechanical processes can result in antemortem dental chipping. In this study, chipping data in the teeth of Homo naledi are compared with those of other pertinent dental samples to give insight into their etiology. Permanent... more
A variety of mechanical processes can result in antemortem dental chipping. In this study, chipping data in the teeth of Homo naledi are compared with those of other pertinent dental samples to give insight into their etiology. Permanent teeth with complete crowns evidencing occlusal wear were examined macroscopically. The location, number, and severity of fractures were recorded and compared to those found in samples of two other South African fossil hominin species and in samples of nonhuman primates (n = 3) and recent humans (n = 7). With 44% of teeth affected, H. naledi exhibits far higher rates of chipping than the other fossil hominin samples. Specifically, 50% of posterior teeth and 31% of anterior teeth display at least one chip. The maxillary teeth are more affected than the mandibular teeth (45% vs 43%, respectively), 73% of molar chipping occurs on interproximal surfaces, and right teeth are more often affected than left teeth (50% vs 38%). Results indicate that the teeth...
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For bioarchaeological biodistance analyses it is common to "assume" that skeletal samples are representative of the populations to which they are attributed. Here, alternatively, samples with "known" attribution in the... more
For bioarchaeological biodistance analyses it is common to "assume" that skeletal samples are representative of the populations to which they are attributed. Here, alternatively, samples with "known" attribution in the Raymond A. Dart Collection are assessed regarding their suitability for use in such analyses. Prior curation issues may call their ascribed identities into question. These 20th century samples ostensibly derive from South African Ndebele, Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Venda, Xosa, and Zulu populations. First, the mean measure of divergence (MMD) is used to obtain among-sample dental phenetic distances for comparison with documented population relationships. Second, the Mantel test evaluates fit of the isolation-by-distance model between MMD and geographic distances, i.e., among the historic homelands. Third, R-matrices and minimum and estimated Fst from MMD distances give an indication of genetic micro-differentiation. Output from these model-free and mode...
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Research Interests: African Studies, Egyptian Archaeology, Neolithic Archaeology, Religion and ritual in prehistory, Death and Burial (Archaeology), and 14 moreInfant burial (Archaeology), Ritual (Anthropology), Burial Practices (Archaeology), Archaeology of Ritual and Magic, Archaeology of Ritual, North African prehistory (Archaeology), Neolithic, Archaeology of burials, Archaeology of death and burial, Cemeteries, Ritual Practices, Neolithic of the Near East, neolithic of NE Africa, and prehistory of Egypt
In the 19th century, Gloucester was one of the most important centers for match manufacture. Inside the factories laborers worked for more than 12 hours a day in deplorable conditions. The members of the poorest class were often tasked... more
In the 19th century, Gloucester was one of the most important centers for match manufacture. Inside the factories laborers worked for more than 12 hours a day in deplorable conditions.
The members of the poorest class were often tasked with dipping the splints of wood in melted sulphur or paraffin by hand; they also had to submerge matches into the lighting composition that contained white or yellow phosphorus. Those directly exposed to phosphorus fumes developed the “phossy jaw” condition.
In this study the remains of a young male (16-20 years old), recovered from Victorian Gloucester, were examined and macroscopic evidence of osteonecrosis was found on the left mandibular ramus. This condition is suggestive of occupationally-related osteomyelitis from industrial exposure to phosphorus. Additional evidence of this phosphoric necrosis has also been detected in the mandibular fossae. A differential diagnosis was conducted that excluded taphonomic factors, neoplastic desease, metastatic forms of neoplasms and actinomycosis.
In fact, caries increased the chances to develop this condition by facilitating contact between the phosphorus, pulp cavity and alveolar bone. The necrosis often first manifested as a toothache before spreading to the mandible and face, often with disfiguring complications. Related respiratory problems and chest pain often occurred as well.
The case studied here presents only an early onset stage of the disease. However, the work-related pathology that has been diagnosed allows a revision of the occupational environment where the analyzed individual lived and died in what was likely poor conditions.
The members of the poorest class were often tasked with dipping the splints of wood in melted sulphur or paraffin by hand; they also had to submerge matches into the lighting composition that contained white or yellow phosphorus. Those directly exposed to phosphorus fumes developed the “phossy jaw” condition.
In this study the remains of a young male (16-20 years old), recovered from Victorian Gloucester, were examined and macroscopic evidence of osteonecrosis was found on the left mandibular ramus. This condition is suggestive of occupationally-related osteomyelitis from industrial exposure to phosphorus. Additional evidence of this phosphoric necrosis has also been detected in the mandibular fossae. A differential diagnosis was conducted that excluded taphonomic factors, neoplastic desease, metastatic forms of neoplasms and actinomycosis.
In fact, caries increased the chances to develop this condition by facilitating contact between the phosphorus, pulp cavity and alveolar bone. The necrosis often first manifested as a toothache before spreading to the mandible and face, often with disfiguring complications. Related respiratory problems and chest pain often occurred as well.
The case studied here presents only an early onset stage of the disease. However, the work-related pathology that has been diagnosed allows a revision of the occupational environment where the analyzed individual lived and died in what was likely poor conditions.