| Detecting Social Change |
make the results repeatable and comparable for
future research (Waldron 2009, 121). It is a sincere
problem that there are no standards at the moment
for investigating osteoporosis in past populations.
This research shows that there is certainly potential
for future research to study osteoporosis in past
and systematic method for diagnosis should be
developed.
Conclusion
The aim of this paper was to reveal whether there
is a change in prevalence of osteoporosis from the
Medieval to the post-Medieval period in London.
Earlier research pointed to a decrease, while the
change in nutrition, lifestyle and living conditions
would suggest an increase in osteoporosis. With the
presented results in this paper, it becomes clear that
during the industrialisation period in London there
is an increase in prevalence of individuals affected
by osteoporosis. This increase is shown by both the
crude prevalence rate and the statistical analysis
using the Chi-squared method. Although there is a
trend visible in this data, it is unclear whether this
the increase in advanced research methods. Future
research should incorporate advanced methods in
osteological analysis to examine more closely the
disease, and the development of osteoporosis.
It is a limitation that there are currently no standards
for investigating osteoporosis in past populations.
This is especially problematic when researchers
would like to make their results repeatable and use
them to measure trends. It is recommended for future
research to produce a standard for the examination
of osteoporosis in archaeological human remains.
Even though research could be improved, the
an increase in osteoporosis during the Industrial
Revolution in London based on a larger dataset than
mentioned in previous studies. It therefore provides
new crude prevalence rates for osteoporosis and
statistical results for sex and age categories in the
Medieval and post-Medieval period in London.
When the recommendations for further research
will be incorporated in the future it will provide new
insights on osteoporosis and therefore on lifestyle
and living conditions in the past.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank Dr. S.A. Inskip of
the Faculty of Archaeology, University Leiden
for her guidance, comments, and encouragement
during the research and writing of the un dergraduate
dissertation and this paper. The author would also like
to thank J. Bekvalac, curator of Human Osteology at
the Museum of London, for her help with compiling
some missing data. The author would also like to
show her gratitude the anonymous reviewer and
the editorial board of INTER-SECTION for their
helpful suggestions to improve this article.
Bibliography
Agarwal, S.C., 2008. Light and Broken Bones:
Examining and Interpreting Bone Loss and Osteoporosis
in Past Populations, in M.A. Katzenberg and S.R.
Saunders (eds), Biological Anthropology of the Human
Skeleton 2 nd edition. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons Inc.,
387-410.
Aufderheide, A.C. and C. Rodriguez-Martin, 1998. The
Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Paleopathology.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Brickley, M. and R. Ives, 2008. The Bioarchaeology
of Metabolic Bone Disease. Amsterdam: Elsevier
Academic Press.
Brickley, M., 1997. Age Related Bone Loss and
Osteoporosis in Archaeological Bone: A Study of Two
London Collections, Redcross Way and Farringdon
Street. London (unpublished PhD thesis University of
London).
Brickley, M., S. Buteux, J. Adams and R. Cherrington,
2006. St. Martin’s Uncovered: Investigations in
the churchyard of St. Martin’s-in-the-Bull Ring,
Birmingham, 2001. Oxford: Oxbow Books
Bucholz, R.O. and J.P. Ward, 2012. London: A
Social and Cultural History, 1550-1750. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Connell, B. and A. Miles, 2010. The City Bunhill burial
ground, Golden Lane, London: Excavations at South
Islington schools, 2006. London: Museum of London
Archaeology (MOLA Archaeology Studies Series 21).
Connell, B., A. Gray Jones, R. Redfern and D. Walker,
2012. A bioarchaeological study of medieval burials on
Market, London E1, 1991-2007. London: Museum of
London Archaeology (MOLA monograph 60).
Cowie, R., J. Bekvalac and T. Kausmally, 2008. Late
17 th - to 19 th -century burial and earlier occupation at
All Saints, Chelsea Old Church, Royal Borough of
Kensington and Chelsea. London: Museum of London
Archaeology Service (MoLAS Archaeology Studies
Series 18).
2017 | INTER-SECTION | VOL III | p.35