A trauma frequency analysis was undertaken on a skeletal sample (n = 75) from the skeletal collections of the medieval Augustinian Priory of St. Mary Merton and the post-medieval lower cemetery of St. Bride’s Church. Fourty-four individuals exhibited trauma on one or more cranial elements. Cranial bones were arranged in different groupings for analysis: inclusive samples of 100% complete, at least 75% complete, at least 25% complete, entire sample; and independent samples of 100% complete, 75 - <100% complete, 25 - <75% complete, and <25% complete. Crania were categorized as 100% complete and incomplete. Four frequencies were calculated (frequency of lesions, of individuals with lesions, of individuals with multiple lesions, and the number of lesions per injured individuals) for each category and cranial element. The results illustrate a general trend towards a decrease in frequency as more fragmentary material is included, illustrating that including the more fragmentary material may bias the results towards underestimating trauma frequencies. However, Fisher’s exact tests do not show statistically significant differences between frequencies in the independent samples analysis, except for individuals with lesions on the right nasal bone. Further research into the effect of fragmentation and poor preservation in skeletal research, cranial trauma research in particular, is required. / Graduate

This project employs a modified version of the Bioarchaeology of Care (BoC) in an analysis of Burial 1 from the Mississippi State Asylum, Jackson, MS. Burial 1 is a skeletal individual recovered from the historic MSA cemetery. Notably, Burial 1 exhibits recidivistic cranial trauma in the form of cranial depression fractures (CDFs) and significant entheseal changes in the upper extremities. However, because there is no identifying information associated with Burial 1, interpretations of the caretaking they may have received, both prior to and after institutionalization, include short- and long-term outcomes from their community and the MSA. Additionally, Burial 1’s CDFs and subsequent traumatic brain injury likely increased their risk of being institutionalized and created complications for them in the MSA. Despite the limitations of this study, future research applying a modified BoC could lead to otherwise unknown information about the lived experiences of institutionalized patients in historic institutions of care.

Les données sur l’évaluation des pistolets-percuteurs à tige pénétrante (PPTP) peu coûteux utilisés pour l’euthanasie des bovins à la ferme sont peu nombreuses. Cette étude compare la profondeur de pénétration (PP) entre trois PPTP : le Blitz Kerner (BK), le Jarvis BA-BOOM (JB) et le Matador SS3000 (MS). La PP de 7 tirs dans la gélatine balistique 20% et de 10 tirs dans des têtes cadavériques bovines (6 à 111 mois) par pistolet-percuteur a été mesurée avec un pied à coulisse électronique et par tomodensitométrie respectivement. Dans les deux expériences, la charge de la cartouche a été mesurée et comparée. Pour la première étude, la PP du JB dans la gélatine (6,7 ± 0,7 cm) était plus profonde que celle du MS (6,4 ± 0,1 cm ; p = 0,026) et celle du BK (3,3 ± 0,5 cm ; p < 0,001), et la PP du MS était plus profonde que celle du BK (p < 0,001 ; Kruskal-Wallis). Dans les têtes cadavériques, tous les tirs ont perforé le crâne et causé des lésions cérébrales. Le MS avaient une PP plus profonde (8,6 ± 0,6 cm) que le JB (7,8 ± 0,7 cm ; p = 0,016) et le BK (7,1 ± 0,5 cm ; p < 0,0001), et le JB pénétraient plus profondément que le BK (p = 0,048 ; ANOVA). Cette étude suggère que les PPTP avec une énergie cinétique rapportée plus élevée (JB et MS) perforent plus profondément et ont donc une PP plus élevée. Il indique également que les trois PPTP sont capables de perforer le crâne du bovin et de provoquer des dommages consistants avec une perte de conscience ; cependant, des études in vivo sont nécessaires pour le confirmer. / Studies evaluating low-cost penetrating captive-bolt devices (PCBs) used for cattle euthanasia on farm are lacking. This study compares penetration depth (PD) between three low-cost PCBs: the Blitz Kerner (BK), Jarvis BA-BOOM (JB), and Matador SS3000 (MS). PD of 7 shots in 20% ballistic gelatin and 10 in bovine cadaveric heads (6-111 months) per PCB was measured with an electronic caliper and by computed tomography respectively. In both experiments, cartridge load was measured and compared between models. In the first experiment, the JB’s PD in gelatin (6.7 ± 0.7 cm) was deeper than the MS’s (6.4 ± 0.1 cm; p = 0.026) and BK’s (3.3 ± 0.5 cm; p < 0.001), and the MS’s PD was deeper than the BK’s (p < 0.001; Kruskal-Wallis). In the cadaveric heads, all shots perforated the skull and caused brain lesions. The MS had a deeper PD (8.6 ± 0.6 cm) than the JB (7.8 ± 0.7 cm; p = 0.016) and BK (7.1 ± 0.5 cm; p < 0.0001), and the JB penetrated deeper than the BK (p = 0.048; ANOVA). This study indicates that PCBs with higher reported kinetic energy (JB and MS) appear to have higher penetrating power and therefore have a higher PD. It also indicates that all three PCBs are capable of perforating the bovine skull and causing brain damage consistent with unconsciousness; however, in vivo studies are required to confirm.