ANTH 3063 - Paleopathology

Goals: 1) To learn to recognize, describe, and possibly diagnose evidence of disease in human skeletons; 2) to understand how to use the skeletal evidence of health and disease to learn more about ancient peoples and how they interacted with and were affected by their environment; 3) to understand the biocultural approach in anthropology and how it pertains to paleopathology; and 4) to appreciate the incredible amount of information contained within the human skeleton.

Content: The human skeleton can tell us much about its owner. Bones and teeth record evidence of nutritional stress, infectious diseases, trauma, and habitual activities. Paleopathologists learn to use this evidence as clues to behavior and disease load. We will maintain a biocultural focus, examining the interactions between human biology and culture. Topics to be covered include the history of paleopathology; the paleoepidemiological approach; how to recognize and describe disease in bones; how to do a differential diagnosis; how to assess the potential impact of a disease process or traumatic injury on an individual; and how to estimate possible care or medical interventions. Infectious, degenerative, nutritional, developmental, and dental diseases as well as trauma will be covered.

Credits: 4