The working spines: vertebral osteoarthritis as an activity indicator in a post medieval rural Dutch population

The purpose of this thesis is to discuss vertebral osteoarthritis and its relation to activity patterns. Osteoarthritis is the most common disease affecting vertebrates and humans, and thus, a closer inspection of its etiology and expression on past populations would further illustrate the causation of the disease. This present research attempts to explore osteoarthritis in a rural post medieval Dutch population with the aim to detect the behavioral patterns of this community. The Middenbeemster population is known to have been engaged in demanding physical activities as is expected for a rural community of the eighteen hundreds, hence a study on the relative skeletal material would prove the impact of these activities on the body, and especially on bones. For the present thesis 50 adult individuals (both sexes) were examined for evidence of spinal osteoarthritis and the results are the following: men exhibited higher percentages of osteoarthritic joints in comparison to women, and...Show moreThe purpose of this thesis is to discuss vertebral osteoarthritis and its relation to activity patterns. Osteoarthritis is the most common disease affecting vertebrates and humans, and thus, a closer inspection of its etiology and expression on past populations would further illustrate the causation of the disease. This present research attempts to explore osteoarthritis in a rural post medieval Dutch population with the aim to detect the behavioral patterns of this community. The Middenbeemster population is known to have been engaged in demanding physical activities as is expected for a rural community of the eighteen hundreds, hence a study on the relative skeletal material would prove the impact of these activities on the body, and especially on bones. For the present thesis 50 adult individuals (both sexes) were examined for evidence of spinal osteoarthritis and the results are the following: men exhibited higher percentages of osteoarthritic joints in comparison to women, and they were mostly affected in the lower regions of their spine. Women also showed a great number of degenerative changes, but mainly in their upper thoracic area. The results suggest exposure to different stress levels, which probably resulted from distinct activities. Additionally, the disease was found to be significantly more prevalent in older ages, although the presence of a considerable number of affected young individuals was also noted. Further research on the Middenbeemster population will be able to test the present results about gendered division in labor and thus, provide greater insights to the daily life of post medieval people.Show less

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The working spines: vertebral osteoarthritis as an activity indicator in a post medieval rural Dutch population