Influences of industrial development and urbanization on human lives in premodern Japan: Views from paleodemography

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study tests the hypothesis that industrial development and urbanization negatively impacted the living circumstances and health of inhabitants. MaterialsThe materials used in this study included 881 human skeletons aged 15 years and older from the Medieval (1185–1573), Edo (1603–1867), and Meiji (1868–1912) periods. The Meiji period corresponds to the period when the industrial revolution spread in Japan. MethodsAge at death and sex were estimated for each skeleton, and demographic profiles of the Medieval, Edo, and Meiji periods were compared. ResultsThe rate of young deaths was higher in the Meiji period than in preceding periods, and urban inhabitants had a higher proportion of young deaths than rural inhabitants in the Edo period. ConclusionsThe results suggest that industrial development and urbanization led to a decline in human health. LimitationsThe results produced through Bayesian methods are likely tentative, because they vary according to the priors and reference sample. SignificancePaleodemographic approaches are a useful method to elucidate the impact of industrialization and urbanization on health. Suggestions for further researchDecline of health associated with industrialization should be examined combining paleopathological and paleodemographic methods.