Early fetal maturity assessed from patterns of ossification in the hand and foot

The assessment of fetal age at death is fraught with many complications and often the determination of the maturity of the fetus is a more realistic solution to the question of fetal viability. This study examines the pattern of appearance of primary centres of ossification in the fetal hand and foot, in an attempt to construct a maturity continuum. The results show that completion of ossification in the hand precedes that in the foot and generally occurs in a more regular pattern. The method proves useful at assessing fetal maturity between the third and tenth months of intra-uterine life. In addition, the relationship to other major centres of ossification is considered.     

Aging fetal and juvenile skeletons from Roman Period Egypt using basiocciput osteometrics

This paper tests the use of basiocciput osteometrics against those of femoral diaphyseal length and dental development for aging fetal and juvenile skeletal remains. The study sample consists of 39 fetal and juvenile skeletons recovered from Kellis 2, a Roman Period cemetery in Dakhleh, Egypt. The results add to the corpus of data supporting the reliability of this method for use in both bioarchaeological and forensic contexts. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lithopedion as an archaic occurrence

Identification of a 3100-year-BP lithopedion in the Archaic Southwest antedates its first clinical notation by 2100 years. It was only the ‘autopsy’ of time (excavation of the site) that allowed its presence to be brought to light.     

The Nation in Utero: Translating the Science of Fetal Education in Republican China

As Chinese nationalists grappled with the political and military weakness of the young Republic of China, some sought to strengthen the Chinese race by advocating a return to the ancient practice of fetal education. Fetal education held that every sight, sound, and flavor that a pregnant mother took in through her senses, as well as her emotions and demeanor, directly affected her fetus. This paper examines how the text Taijiao, Song Jiazhao’s 1914 Chinese translation of Shimoda Jirō’s Japanese work Taikyō, presents a modern reformulation of fetal education that draws upon both modern Western science and East Asian medicine. As the text uses modern biology and psychology to explain and demonstrate the efficacy of fetal education, it also narrows the scope of fetal education to focus almost exclusively on the mother’s psychological state. Similarly, as the text turns to instruct women on the practice of fetal education, it draws upon Edo and Qing gynecological principles to emphasise the importance of the pregnant mother’s emotional self-control. Ultimately this text represents a neo-traditionalist response to modernity as it presents a Neo-Confucian vision of fetal education focused on a pregnant mother’s moral self-cultivation and emotional self control.     

Twin Burials in Prehistory: A Possible Case from the Iron Age of Germany

Compared with other mammals, multiple births are rare in humans. The attitude towards multiple births varies widely among cultures. Although expected to be present, evidence for twin burials from prehistoric times is scarce. However, knowledge about the attitude of ancient societies towards twins, as expressed for instance by funeral practices, would provide interesting insights into the spiritual world of these people. In 2001, an Iron Age settlement site was excavated near Ochtendung, Germany. The skeletons of two perinatal individuals were found in situ in shallow depressions close to post‐holes of a house pit in the western part of the settlement. The individuals appear to have been deposited in the depressions without special care, as one of them was face down. No archaeological findings were associated with the skeletons. Age at death of the two individuals was estimated to be between 36 and 40 weeks' gestation. The cusp patterns of the lower left first molars exhibit a similar configuration of the disto‐buccal cusps in both individuals, probably a division of the hypoconid. The investigation of the bones and the teeth revealed a similar stage of development of the individuals and supports the hypothesis of closely related individuals, probably twins. An interpretation as ‘building sacrifices’ seems unwarranted, considering the careless deposition of the bodies and the absence of any grave goods. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.