Medicina nei secoli
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Medicina nei secoli · Jan 2013
Historical Article[Paleopathology of Herculaneum's population (79 D.C.)].
In 1982, some occasional excavations in the area corresponding to the ancient beach of Ercolano brought to light the rests of around 250 individuals, victims of the eruption of the Vesuvius. This exceptional recovery constitutes an essential patrimony for the reconstruction of the paleobiology and the paleopathology of the human populations in Roman epoch, in relationship not only to the style of life but also to the social and economic status. ⋯ The high frequency of occupational markers (enthesopaties and sindesmopaties) suggests that the most part of the population (juveniles included) exercised hand work. Among the infectious pathologies we report cases of the tuberculosis and brucellosis.
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Medicina nei secoli · Jan 2013
[Human remains in museums: research, preservation and communication. The experience of Turin University Museum of Anthropology and Etnography].
The creation of large scientific collections has been an important development for anthropological and paleopathological research. Indeed the biological collections are irreplaceable reference systems for the biological reconstruction of past population. ⋯ Thinking about the role of mummies and bones as scientific resources, best practice of preservation of ancient specimens should be of high priority for institution and researchers. By way of example, the authors mention their experience regarding ancient human remains preserved in the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography at the University of Turin.