Signs of meningiomas in a skull of the Mexican colonial period

The skull of a native Mexican from the colonial period is studied. The skull has a nasal trauma, dental pathology and two osteogenic lesions, one situated at the left wing of the sphenoid bone and the other in the infrainion occipital squamous bone, between the left mastoid process and the left occipital condyle. That involving the sphenoid occludes the optic nerve foramen and is evident through the orbit and at pterion. These osteogenic lesions are considered to be secondary to the soft tissue tumour mass, which, at the level of its implantation area, is usually present in meningiomas.     

A palaeopathological investigation of the third intercondylar tubercle of Parsons

The third intercondylar tubercle of Parsons (TITP) is a bony protuberance which is sometimes present on the tibial plateau. It corresponds to the insertion of the anterior fibres of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Reasons why TITP is present in some knees and not others are at present unclear. TITP is studied in knee joints from 68 adult individuals from a medieval cemetery. Associations are investigated with age, sex, knee osteoarthritis, clinical and subclinical DISH, and skeletal signs of trauma, with the aim of evaluating existing ideas on the causation of TITP. Only trauma showed an association with the presence of TITP. The results offer support for the aetiology of trauma to the ACL in the formation of TITP. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Two decapitations from Roman Towcester

Two young adult males from a Roman cemetery at Towcester show unambiguous evidence of decapitation In one, the skull had been placed over the lower legs, and in the other, the skull was in its correct anatomical position. The significance of this variation and the reasons for decapitation are discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using cultural trauma: Gandhi's assassination,partition and secular nationalism in post‐independence India

Nationalism theorists have noted the link between traumatic events and national identity, and cultural trauma theory presents a framework for understanding how these events become trauma narratives. I argue for greater consideration of how these narratives are strategically linked to ideological frames of national identity. A case study of post‐Independence India considering the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and the Partition of India and Pakistan demonstrates how two very different events were promoted as cultural traumas by various carrier groups in order to promote a secular vision of the Indian nation. Adapting Armstrong and Crage (2006), I suggest that the success of these trauma narratives depend on several criteria: the ease of narrating the event, how it is linked to underlying cultural meanings/frames and how the event interacts with historical contingencies.     

A 6000‐Year‐Old Hand Amputation from Bulgaria—The Oldest Case from South‐East Europe?

A skeleton from Tell Yunatsite in Bulgarian Thrace shows evidence of amputation of the right hand. The individual dates back to the end of the fifth millennium, connecting it to the Late Copper Age of that region. The Chalcolithic settlement on the tell ended immediately after a bellicose assault. Therefore, the question arose if the loss of the hand may be connected with this incidence. Anthropological studies in close collaboration with the archaeologists on site made clear that the abscission took place at an earlier time. This result led to a series of complex questions. These are described in this work. We will show that a congenital origin for the loss of the hand can be excluded, and that the individual survived this severe injury for a certain time span. Several possible explanations for an amputation are discussed. It turns out that a surgical intervention seems to be the most likely reason. It becomes clear that there must have been an excellent medical knowledge in the Copper Age concerning surgery and wound treatment. Furthermore, the survival of the handicapped individual documents a certain social cohesion. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Trauma and pathology of a buried dog from San Nicolas Island,California, U.S.A.

To date more intact dog remains have been found on San Nicolas than on any of the other seven California Channel Islands. However, little is known about them. During the 2007 summer field season we excavated a medium sized young male dog in a flexed burial position from a pit at CA-SNI-25, a large Native American village site. The dog exhibits hypodontia, noticeable tooth attrition, severe scapular trauma, and vertebral, rib, and phalanx pathologies. Most of the injuries appear to have resulted from a severe blunt force trauma of unknown origin and it is likely the dog would not have survived without human care. The results of our analysis contribute to the, somewhat limited, published data on archaeological dogs in California. In this paper we describe the biological characteristics of the dog especially his anomalies and pathologies and compare them with published reports of other North American archaeological dogs with similar conditions.     

Multiple traumatic dental injuries: a case report in a young individual from the Samnitic necropolis of Opi Val Fondillo (VI-V century BC; Central Italy)

Traumatic dental injuries, although apparently rare in archaeological populations, can be found under certain circumstances affecting the dentition in a variety of ways. This paper contributes to the paleopathology literature by reporting one case of dental trauma. Evidence for differentiating antemortem/perimortem dental trauma from postmortem damage is presented, and it is suggested that these injuries were sustained due to an accidental fall, supported by the morphology, location and extension of the injuries and characterization of the impact. These data provide a valuable information for a reconstruction of past behaviors in the Samnitic necropolis of Opi Val Fondillo (VI-V century BC; Central Italy).