A Brief History of Brain Archiving

This paper narrates the history of the conservation of the human brain, tracking techniques of brain archiving from the first experiments in the preservation of soft tissue in spirits of alcohol to the latest refinements in cryogenic technology. It traces the changing social and legal conditions that permitted the collection of post mortem human tissue, as well as the increasingly sophisticated technologies that allowed for the preservation and storage of this material. This preliminary survey of brain archiving uses examples of specific collections in order to discuss changes in the techniques, goals and achievements of neural tissue collecting from the mid-eighteenth to the late twentieth centuries.     

An example of unhealed osteochondritis dissecans of the medial cuneiform

One hundred and thirty-six well-preserved medieval skeletons were excavated in advance of redevelopment in Norwich. A 13–15-year-old displayed a large circular defect on the distal articular surface of the right medial cuneiform. This is considered to be an example of unhealed osteochondritis dissecans. The atypical site, apparently the first published case of osteochondritis dissecans involving this bone in either archaeological or clinical material, has prompted this short note. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Slipped proximal femoral epiphysis in a priest from the medieval period

During the course of a routine analysis of a cemetery burial population associated with the medieval hospital of St Giles, Brough, North Yorkshire, the partially excavated burial (No. 1423) of a priest, as identified through the associated chalice and paten dating to the medieval period, was observed to exhibit osseous changes commensurate with those of an untreated slipped proximal femoral epiphysis. Secondary osseous changes were noted that may indicate habitual positional behaviour subsequent to the injury.     

Age Changes in the Clavicle: from the Early Neonatal Period to Skeletal Maturity

Of all the long bones in the human skeleton, it is the clavicle which displays the longest period of growth-related activity, rendering it particularly useful for the estimation of age at death in the earlier years. However, because of the universal paucity of documented juvenile remains, most previous studies have, by necessity, not only been based on material of estimated age at death but also restricted to a narrow age range. The aim of the present study was to chart developmental age-related change in the clavicle across its full growth range using juvenile and young adult material of documented age at death. Maximum diaphysial length was recorded for prepubertal individuals and a grading of the progressive alterations in medial epiphysial morphology was recorded for post-pubertal specimens. In this way, age changes in the clavicle were examined across its developmental maturity continuum.