Osteolytic lesions on the os petrosum of a Bronze Age individual from La Llana cave (Northern Spain) compatible with a possible case of otitis media. A multifaceted methodological approach

Ossicular chain changes revealed middle ear inflammation in medieval rural central Italy (Tuscany 10th-12th century)

OBJECTIVE

To assess the prevalence of chronic otitis media in the medieval rural site of Pieve di Pava (central Italy) by analysing pathological changes in auditory ossicles and to investigate specific risk factors responsible for middle ear inflammation in a rural environment.

MATERIALS

A total of 224 ossicles from 119 individuals (20 pre-adults and 99 adults) were examined.

METHODS

Stereomicroscopic observation was used to evaluate osteoclastic and osteoblastic COM-related bone changes.

RESULTS

COM-related bone changes were observed in 52 ossicles, pertaining to 39 individuals (25 % of pre-adults and 34.3 % of adults), with no statistically significant difference between adult males and females. Pitting was the most common lesion-type (82.7 %), while new bone formation was less common (13.5 %).

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to urban medieval sites in western and northern-eastern Europe, the individuals from rural Pieve di Pava exhibited lower rates of chronic otitis media. This may be attributed to reduced exposure to urban-risk factors, such as indoor air pollution and overcrowding. Conversely, rural-specific factors, like farming, husbandry, and craft activities, might have influenced the observed prevalence.

SIGNIFICANCE

The broad range of lesion-types on the ossicles and their severity helped us to provide diagnostic criteria for assessing COM in paleopathology.

LIMITATIONS

The inability to examine all ossicles per individual, as well as the restricted number of pre-adults compared to adults.

SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

Further archaeological population-based studies examining ossicles from different time periods and urban/rural settings across Mediterranean Europe could provide insights into the prevalence of chronic otitis media with a diachronic perspective.

A distant city: Assessing the impact of Dutch socioeconomic developments on urban and rural health using respiratory disease as a proxy

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the prevalence of respiratory disease in several populations from the Netherlands across different time periods and socioeconomic conditions.

MATERIALS

We analyzed 695 adult individuals from six different Dutch contexts of urban and rural settlements dating to different time periods (i.e., early-medieval, late-medieval, post-medieval).

METHODS

For each individual, the presence/absence of chronic maxillary sinusitis, otitis media, and inflammatory periosteal reaction on ribs was recorded macroscopically according to accepted methods.

RESULTS

Statistically significant associations were found in the presence of sinusitis diachronically (early-medieval to late-medieval period, and early-medieval to post-medieval period) both in rural and urban environments. Differences in prevalence rates of otitis media were found statistically significant when comparing rural to urban environments in the early-medieval and late-medieval periods.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that factors such as increased contact between towns and countryside, higher population densities, and intensification of agricultural production impacted the respiratory health of past populations both in rural and urban settings.

SIGNIFICANCE

Our study provides new insights into the impact of environmental changes and urbanization on respiratory disease prevalence, shedding light on the relationship between health and changing social and environmental contexts.

LIMITATIONS

Research limitations included the complex etiology of respiratory diseases, and the impact of uncontrollable factors such as hidden heterogeneity, selective mortality, and rural-to-urban migration.

FUTURE RESEARCH

Further research in different contexts is advised in order to continue exploring urbanization and its impact on human health across both time and space.

The first otologic surgery in a skull from El Pendón site (Reinoso, Northern Spain)

Archaeological research in the Dolmen of El Pendón (Reinoso, Burgos, Spain) has brought to light the complex biography of a megalithic monument used throughout the 4th millennium cal. BC. The ossuary of this burial holds the bones of nearly a hundred individuals who suffered from diverse pathologies and injuries. This study presents the discovery of a skull with two bilateral perforations on both mastoid bones. These evidences point to a mastoidectomy, a surgical procedure possibly performed to relieve the pain this prehistoric individual may have suffered as a result of otitis media and mastoiditis. The hypothesis of surgical intervention is also supported by the presence of cut marks at the anterior edge of the trepanation made in the left ear. Furthermore, the results of this paper demonstrate the survival of the individual to both interventions. Given the chronology of this dolmen, this find would be the earliest surgical ear intervention in the history of mankind.