http://www.mymuseumoflondon.org.uk/blogs/blog/rickety-old-bones/ A sneak peak into the working life of a museum Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:13:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://www.mymuseumoflondon.org.uk/blogs/blog/rickety-old-bones/comment-page-1/#comment-8827 Mike Henderson Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:35:42 +0000 http://mymuseumoflondon.org.uk/blogs/blog/rickety-old-bones/#comment-8827 Thank you for your comment. You are correct to point out that cribra orbitalia and porotic hyperostosis may be symptomatic of iron deficiency anaemia. These bone changes have also been found in individuals with other forms of metabolic disease. In the case of some individuals, it is possible that they were suffering from more than one metabolic condition. When looking for evidence of scurvy, we would not rely on a single trait, rather the distribution pattern across the skeleton as a whole. This includes evidence of abnormal porosity, proliferative new bone growth and flaring at long bone metaphyses and sternal ribs. The affected areas of the skeleton include the maxilla, palate, mandible, orbits, cranial vault, sphenoid, scapulae, ribs and long bones (See Brickley and Ives 2006, Ortner 2003). Thank you for your comment. You are correct to point out that cribra orbitalia and porotic hyperostosis may be symptomatic of iron deficiency anaemia. These bone changes have also been found in individuals with other forms of metabolic disease. In the case of some individuals, it is possible that they were suffering from more than one metabolic condition. When looking for evidence of scurvy, we would not rely on a single trait, rather the distribution pattern across the skeleton as a whole. This includes evidence of abnormal porosity, proliferative new bone growth and flaring at long bone metaphyses and sternal ribs. The affected areas of the skeleton include the maxilla, palate, mandible, orbits, cranial vault, sphenoid, scapulae, ribs and long bones (See Brickley and Ives 2006, Ortner 2003).

]]> http://www.mymuseumoflondon.org.uk/blogs/blog/rickety-old-bones/comment-page-1/#comment-8804 Chris Sat, 20 Dec 2008 08:19:39 +0000 http://mymuseumoflondon.org.uk/blogs/blog/rickety-old-bones/#comment-8804 The pitting in the roof of the eye sockets (cribra orbitalia) is typically associated with iron deficiency anemia (See J. Lawrence Angel, Susan Kent, and others). Are you sure it was scurvy? Don't get me wrong, these kids are messed up all around in terms of nutrition, but porotic hyperostosis in general is iron-deficiency anemia, esp. in the eye sockets and along the cranial vault. What else was there to indicate scurvy? The pitting in the roof of the eye sockets (cribra orbitalia) is typically associated with iron deficiency anemia (See J. Lawrence Angel, Susan Kent, and others). Are you sure it was scurvy? Don’t get me wrong, these kids are messed up all around in terms of nutrition, but porotic hyperostosis in general is iron-deficiency anemia, esp. in the eye sockets and along the cranial vault. What else was there to indicate scurvy?

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