Disease is not a unique or singular phenomenon. The medical literature contains multiple reports discussing disease interactions and co-occurrence which remains an important issue. Despite this, there has been no systematic investigation of disease co-occurrence in paleopathology. This thesis will begin to fill the gap by producing a detailed analysis of the pathological indicators for scurvy, rickets, and their co-occurrence, focussing on features of co-occurrence and their identification. The Collégiale Saint-Amé collection from 16th to 18th century Douai, France includes 48 individuals ranging from fetal to five years of age. Previous research indicated a large number of potential cases of scurvy and rickets in the juveniles (Devriendt et al. 2010). The current study identified 12 cases of possible co-occurrence based on macroscopic, radiographic, and microscopic techniques; biocultural and historical data supported disease presence. Macroscopic results indicate that lesions associated with scurvy are identifiable and the vascular system is not known to be directly affected by rickets. Rickets features are present but changes are subtle and reduced in prevalence. Radiographs demonstrate features of both diseases but the presence or absence of the line of Fraenkel, a scurvy feature, was useful in identifying the likely dominant disease process. Diagenetic change significantly impacted microscopic investigations but the technique provided some supporting evidence for the presence of rickets. The results clearly demonstrate that cases of co-occurrence of scurvy and rickets are present and identifiable in the archaeological record. Important factors for recognition include the sequence in which conditions develop and duration of illness. Presently only cases with moderately or better developed features of both scurvy and rickets can be identified. Use of multiple techniques was critical to observe subtle changes and build a case for disease presence. Further research on co-occurrence of any diseases is encouraged to create a fuller understanding of past disease. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

The soldier's diet in the Civil War has been known as poor, and a number of illnesses and disorders have been associated with it. However, a nutritional analysis placed within the context of mid-nineteenth century American nutrition has been lacking. Such an approach makes clear the connection between illness and diet during the war for the average soldier and defines the importance of nutrition's role in the war. It also provides a bridge from the American diet to the soldier diet, outlining correlations between the two and examining the influence of physicians, chemists, and health reformers on the Civil War diet. / Master of Arts

This thesis represents the first anthropological perspective to be offered on the nature of the Klondike Gold Rush population. In order to better understand the experience of the average gold rusher, morbidity and mortality patterns are examined for the residents of the Yukon Territory following the discovery of gold in the region (1898-1904). Infectious diseases such as measles, pneumonia, smallpox and typhoid fever are the primary focus of this study, however local factors such as the severe climate and the seclusion of the gold fields from the outside world also offers an interesting opportunity to examine the consequences of leading a particularly harsh and physically demanding lifestyle in an inhospitable environment. / October 2008

This thesis represents the first anthropological perspective to be offered on the nature of the Klondike Gold Rush population. In order to better understand the experience of the average gold rusher, morbidity and mortality patterns are examined for the residents of the Yukon Territory following the discovery of gold in the region (1898-1904). Infectious diseases such as measles, pneumonia, smallpox and typhoid fever are the primary focus of this study, however local factors such as the severe climate and the seclusion of the gold fields from the outside world also offers an interesting opportunity to examine the consequences of leading a particularly harsh and physically demanding lifestyle in an inhospitable environment.

This thesis represents the first anthropological perspective to be offered on the nature of the Klondike Gold Rush population. In order to better understand the experience of the average gold rusher, morbidity and mortality patterns are examined for the residents of the Yukon Territory following the discovery of gold in the region (1898-1904). Infectious diseases such as measles, pneumonia, smallpox and typhoid fever are the primary focus of this study, however local factors such as the severe climate and the seclusion of the gold fields from the outside world also offers an interesting opportunity to examine the consequences of leading a particularly harsh and physically demanding lifestyle in an inhospitable environment.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of Anthropology, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis examines the impact of disease and mortality on the Royal Navy in the West Indies from 1770 to 1806. It also investigates the navy’s medical branch which was established to manage the care of sick seamen. Using an interdisciplinary approach, this thesis produces a cohesive understanding of how disease and mortality affected the navy’s presence in the West Indies and the ways in which the navy attempted to mitigate their impact. This thesis explores various aspects of naval medicine including the history of the Sick and Hurt Board, the diseases which distressed seamen, the medicines distributed by the navy, the key personnel who were integral in generating changes to the medical system and the development of hospital facilities. Largely based on Admiralty records including correspondence and minutes from the Sick and Hurt Board, ships’ muster books and surgeons’ journals, this thesis investigates the most prevalent diseases in the West Indies and the prescribed treatments advocated by the navy. It then examines how these diseases and treatments affected seamen on board ships in that region through a quantitative analysis; then focuses on a number of the integral naval personnel who ushered in sweeping changes to naval medicine; and explores the navy’s increasing desire to transition from hired sick quarters to purpose-built naval hospitals on various West Indies islands. It concludes with a case study of the development of Antigua naval hospital which demonstrates the effectiveness of these facilities in convalescing sick seamen. Through a quantitative analysis of ships’ muster books, this thesis argues that the levels of sickness and mortality in the navy in the West Indies during the late eighteenth century are largely exaggerated in historical studies while also discrediting the myth that those islands were the ‘white man’s graveyard’ for many naval personnel. By surveying over 100,000 seamen on board ships in that region, sickness and mortality figures emerge which indicate that, on average, less than 4 per cent of seamen were on the sick list at any given time and only a small percentage died, meaning that the majority remained on active duty. This thesis then argues that many of the changes to the navy’s medical system that facilitated such low percentages were primarily instigated by surgeons, physicians and captains who identified beneficial medicines and championed their general distribution among the entire fleet. By looking at these aspects of naval medicine through a multidisciplinary lens rather than a purely administrative one, it is possible to understand the true state of health of British seamen in the West Indies during the last quarter of the eighteenth century.

Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurden die Kinderskelete der frühbronzezeitlichen Mad'arovce-Kultur aus Jelšovce / Slowakei auf Erkrankungen untersucht. Diese Ergebnisse helfen die Lebensbedingungen der in der Frühbronzezeit in Mitteleuropa lebenden Menschen zu beschreiben. Es zeigt sich, dass schon in der Bronzezeit die Gesundheit der Menschen durch klimatische und geographische Faktoren stark beeinflusst wurde. Zu Vergleichszwecken wurden frühbronzezeitliche Populationen aus Niederösterreich und Anatolien, sowie mittelalterliche und neolithische Kinderpopulationen herangezogen. Im Laufe der Frühbronzezeit nimmt die Erkrankungshäufigkeit fast aller Krankheiten zu. Die Kinder der Mad'arovce-Kultur sind überdurchschnittlich häufig betroffen. Eine interessante Vergleichsmöglichkeit ergibt sich durch die frühbronzezeitlichen Populationen der Nitra-, und Aunjetitz-Kultur, die ebenfalls vom Gräberfeld in Jelšocve stammen, allerdings zeitlich früher datiert werden. Die diachrone Untersuchung der drei Kinderpopulationen von Jelšovce zeigt, einen Häufigkeitsanstieg der Infektions-, Zahn- und, mit Ausnahmen, auch der Mangelerkrankungen im Verlauf der Frühbronzezeit in Jelšovce, bei annähernd gleichem Krankheitsspektrum. Dies spricht für ein sehr ähnliches Biotop über den gesamten frühbronzezeitlichen Siedlungszeitraum hinweg. Für die dort lebenden Menschen waren die gleichen positiven wie negativen Aspekte relevant, wie sich in der annähernden Übereinstimmung des Krankheitsspektrums zeigt. Der beobachtete Unterschied in den Krankheitshäufigkeiten wurde sehr wahrscheinlich durch eine Erschöpfung der Ressourcen sowie die Zunahme der Populationsgröße verursacht. Ursachen für die beobachteten Unterschiede zwischen den weiteren bronzezeitlichen Populationen sind in den unterschiedlichen Biotopen sowie den sich im Verlauf der Frühbronzezeit deutlich ändernden klimatischen Bedingungen zu suchen. Sich wandelnde kulturelle und gesellschaftliche Grundlagen spielen offenbar ebenfalls eine Rolle. Auch die Größe der Populationen und deren materieller Reichtum und die damit verbundenen notwendigen Ressourcen beeinflussten die Lebensbedingungen der bronzezeitlichen Menschen. Obwohl es sich bei der Population der Mad’arovce-Kultur um eine relativ reiche Population handelt, sind ihre Kinder häufig von Erkrankungen betroffen. Dies zeigt, dass das Biotop in der Vergangenheit einen größeren Einfluss auf die Gesundheit der Menschen und das Auftreten von Erkrankungen hat als bisher angenommen wurde. Der Skorbut wird in dieser Arbeit bevorzugt behandelt, da zum einen ein System zur Diagnose von kindlichem Skorbut vorgestellt wird, welches eine Diagnosefindung erleichtern soll. Zum anderen treten in der Mad'arovce-Kultur in Jelšocve relativ viele Fälle von Skorbut auf, so dass sich hier eine genauere Betrachtung anbietet. Außerdem kann ein Skorbut als möglicher Cofaktor die hohe Prävalenz an entzündlichen Erkrankungen in der Mad'arovce-Kultur mit erklären. Spuren einer Kauterisation an einem Kinderschädel weisen auf einen Behandlungsversuch im frühbronzezeitlichen Jelšovce hin. In einem anderen Fall wurde ein ossärer Tumor nachgewiesen. Bei zwei Kindern konnten Erkrankungen der Knochen festgestellt werden, die es in dieser Form heute offenbar nicht mehr gibt. Somit liefert die Untersuchung der Kinderskelete von Jelšovce auch medizinhistorisch interessante Befunde.