Comparison of third metatarsal and third cuneiform defects among various populations

Abstract

AbstractDefects in the proximal third metatarsal and distal face of the third cuneiform are occasionally seen. Sometimes they have been interpreted as abscess, tumour, or arthritis. The present large series of 193 affected individuals markedly extends the number studied and shows the entity to be ubiquitous, although its frequency varies considerably among different populations. Thus, a modern‐day group of Negroes and Caucasians had prevalance of 6.3 per cent and 7.3 per cent, respectively. Pre‐Aleut and Aleut Eskimos had frequencies of 12.5 per cent and 13.7 per cent, respectively, while a group of predynastic Egyptians had a frequency of 4.1 per cent. A greatly expanded series of precontact Native Califorians showed an overall frequency of 17.5 per cent. When these were separated by location and horizon, however, there was considerable variability, with one large site having 39 per cent of individuals affected. It appears from the wide and rather uneven distribution, as well as the clear‐cut presence or absence of the lesion, that it would serve as a useful post‐cranial non‐metric trait in population studies.