Identifier

etd-04042008-085846

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Geography and Anthropology

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

This study reports on the demographics and evidence of pulmonary disease in the Poole-Rose Ossuary which was excavated in 1990 under the direction of Heather McKillop. The bones are being studied at the request of the Alderville First Nation. Radiocarbon dated to A.D. 1550 ± 50 years, the skeletal material is a co-mingled collection that is consistent with a mass secondary burial event known as the Feast of the Dead often associated with the Huron. The ribs were used in this study. The condition of the ribs was highly fragmented. The minimum number of individuals for this study was 49 based on the presence of the transverse facet of rib 1. The incidence of degenerative joint disease is low and affects the right side twice as much as the left. The most severe cases of degenerative joint disease occur in ribs 10 and 12. Periosteal reactions on the shaft of the rib suggest the presence of pulmonary disease. Lytic lesions present on the head and neck of the ribs suggest the presence of tuberculosis in the Ossuary. Overall, the ribs of the Poole-Rose Ossuary suggest a healthy population. However, lesions on the ribs occur in approximately eight percent of tuberculosis cases suggesting that there are cases of the disease within the population that are not reflected within the skeletal material.

Date

2008

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Robert G Tague

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.1402

Download

Share

COinS