A leprous skeleton of the 7th century from Eccles,Kent, and the present evidence of leprosy in early Britain

A male skeleton of 7th century date from the Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Eccles, Kent, is described. Certain skeletal changes associated with leprosy are manifest. The disease is discussed in its palaeopathological context and this case in relation to the few other cases of the disease hitherto diagnosed in Great Britain.     

Sex identification from the auricular surface of the adult human ilium

The sacro-iliac joint has largely been excluded in studies of sex identification from the adult human skeleton. Yet this is a joint involved in the transmission of body weight and as such would be expected to exhibit sexual dimorphism. In addition, the auricular surface of the ilium tends to persist even in fragmented remains by virtue of its close proximity to the acetabulo-cristal buttress. The aim of this investigation was to assess the accuracy with which sex could be predicted from dimensions of the auricular surface of the ilium. Significant sex differences were found in the size and shape of the auricular surface. However, these differences were of insufficient magnitude to permit discrimination between the sexes with any acceptable degree of accuracy. Therefore, the auricular surface of the ilium is not recommended for the purpose of sex identification.     

哈尔滨阎家岗遗址动物骨骼圈状结构的再研究

一、前言人类发展的历史经过约200多万年漫长而艰难的历程,在距今3.5万年左右进入旧石器时代晚期。此时人类除了在石器制作技术、绘画雕刻和原始宗教意识等领域取得了一系列重要进步之外,已经能够摆脱长期在天然洞穴中生活的束缚而来到平原之上     

Postcranial anatomy of the early notoungulate Allalmeia atalaensis from the Eocene of Argentina

We redescribe and interpret the postcranial elements of Allalmeia atalaensis Rusconi, found in the Divisadero Largo Formation, Mendoza, Argentina. Allalmeia is one of the few basal notoungulates with preserved postcranial remains. Rusconi initially documented a skull, several vertebrae and part of the appendicular skeleton but these specimens were subsequently lost. Recently though, distal components of the holotype humeri, the proximal portion of the right femur, several broken diaphyses and most of the left and right pes (MCNAM-PV 507), were relocated. Preparation of this material has revealed new details, especially from the plantar side of the feet. The calcaneum has a distal peroneal process with marked rugosity in the lateral end, a well-developed calcaneal plantar tubercle and a large sustentaculum tali. The naviculars exhibit a well-developed medial tuberosity and slightly contact the calcaneum on the dorsal side, a condition called a ‘reverse alternating tarsus’. The disposition and morphology of the cuneiforms are similar to those of more recent typotheres and the archaic ungulate Tetraclaenodon puercensis. The phalangeal rows are oblique to each other, as in some extant digitigrade mammals. The ungual phalanges are claw-like suggesting that they might have borne claws. Long bones are gracile in comparison with other notoungulates, but with well-developed muscle origins and insertions. The use of body-mass allometric equations and a comparison with extant analogues suggests that Allalmeia was a small, generalized, digitigrade animal. An estimated body mass of approximately 3 kg is consistent with oldfieldthomasiids and archaic ungulates.