RESUMO
AIMS: The aim of this work was to study the cranial trepanations and deformations carried out by the ancient Paraca, Huari, Tiahuanaco and Inca cultures. To do so, we conducted a field study involving visits to archaeological remains and anthropological museums on the Andean plateau and the Peruvian coast. DEVELOPMENT: Cranial deformation was more common in the Andean regions and was performed by putting little pieces of wood or compressive bandages on newborn infants' heads in order to modify the growth axis of the cranial cavity. Cranial deformations were performed for aesthetic and magic religious reasons, but were also used as a means of ethnic or social identification, as a symbol of nobility or to distinguish the ruling classes. The immediate consequence of such deformation was the modification of the normal process by which the cranial sutures close. There is a significant correlation between the presence of posterior and lateral wormian bones, according to the degree of artificial deformation. The persistence of metopic suture and exostosis of the outer ear canal have been found in 5% of the skulls belonging to pre Columbine mummies. Other paleopathological findings include cranial fractures (7%), porotic hyperostosis (25% of children's skulls), spina bifida occulta, signs of spinal disk arthrosis and Pott's disease. CONCLUSIONS: Artificial cranial deformation was a very widespread practice in the Andean regions in pre Columbine times.
Assuntos
Indígenas Sul-Americanos/história , Paleopatologia , Crânio/patologia , Trepanação/história , Adulto , Idoso , Amputação Cirúrgica/história , Cefalometria , Criança , Técnicas Cosméticas/história , Suturas Cranianas/patologia , Cultura , Etnicidade/história , História Antiga , Humanos , Lactente , Cuidado do Lactente/história , Recém-Nascido , Medicina nas Artes , Medicina Tradicional/história , Múmias/patologia , Peru , Pressão , Escultura , Crânio/lesões , Classe Social , Doenças da Coluna Vertebral/epidemiologia , Doenças da Coluna Vertebral/história , Trepanação/efeitos adversosRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The skulls and spinal columns of people from ancient civilizations, which frequently are found in a preserved state at archeological sites, can provide a large amount of information about these individuals' physical condition through paleopathological investigation. METHODS: This study represents the examination of more than 700 human remains dating back more than 8000 years that were recovered from archaeological excavations in the Andean region of southern Peru and northern Chile. RESULTS: Examples of congenital malformations, degenerative processes, infectious diseases, neoplasias, and traumatic diseases were discovered. Congenital anomalies such as spina bifida occulta were relatively common in these populations. No cases of meningomyelocele were discovered. The most common pathological findings were degenerative changes of the vertebral bodies. Large cervical and lumbar osteophytes were identified in some remains. Several cases of cervical spondylosis were determined to be the result of an occupational disease resulting from carrying heavy loads on the back. These heavy loads were supported by wearing around the forehead a tumpline, known as a capacho. The most common infectious disease process in the spine was due to tuberculosis. The diagnosis was made by radiological and histopathological studies, and in several cases the organism Mycobacterium tuberculosis was identified in the soft tissues. Metastatic lesions on the vertebral bodies were identified in a single case. Examples of traumatic spinal injury were rare. Compression fractures were noted infrequently. CONCLUSION: Diseases of the spinal column in the ancient inhabitants of the Andean region of South America were similar to those that affect the present-day population of that area.
Assuntos
Múmias/patologia , Doenças da Coluna Vertebral/patologia , Adulto , Criança , Feminino , História Antiga , Humanos , Infecções/história , Infecções/patologia , Masculino , Meningomielocele/história , Meningomielocele/patologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Múmias/história , Paleopatologia , Radiografia , América do Sul , Doenças da Coluna Vertebral/história , Disrafismo Espinal/história , Disrafismo Espinal/patologia , Traumatismos da Coluna Vertebral/história , Traumatismos da Coluna Vertebral/patologia , Neoplasias da Coluna Vertebral/história , Neoplasias da Coluna Vertebral/patologia , Coluna Vertebral/diagnóstico por imagem , Coluna Vertebral/patologiaRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To describe the rheumatic conditions found in skeletal remains of Amerindian ancestry disinterred from a 16th century Mexican cemetery. METHODS: A physical anthropologist and 2 rheumatologists surveyed the recovered skeletal remains. RESULTS: We examined the skeletal remains of 443 subjects. We found 19 cases of Pott's disease, 17 of osteoarthrosis in various anatomical locations, 2 spondyloarthropathies, probably ankylosing spondylitis or diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis, one probable septic arthritis in the stemoclavicular joint, and 2 compression fractures of the spine. We found no cases of gout or rheumatoid arthritis. CONCLUSION: This is the first report on the presence of rheumatic conditions in colonial Mexico. Studying the remains of these populations can provide useful information about the origin and evolution of different rheumatic conditions.