Rib lesions and New World tuberculosis

Abstract

AbstractTuberculosis had a devastating effect on many Amerindian populations at the time of European contact. Our explanation of its effect on prehistoric aboriginal populations is frustrated by the non‐specific nature of the associated skeletal lesions and their variable manifestation. It has been suggested that certain lesions seen on the interior aspect of the ribs may be specific to tuberculosis. This proposition is explored within the context of two Southern Ontario Iroquoian ossuaries (Uxbridge, C14 date AD 1490 ± 80, minimum N = 457; Glen Williams, ca. AD 1300, minimum N = 309), in which the presence of tuberculosis has been deduced from vertebral lesions. The rib lesions present in these samples are categorized by appearance, side and maturity. While the frequency and distribution of rib lesions seems to be consistent with an aetiology of tuberculosis, it is argued that it would be premature to interpret all such lesions as diagnostic of tuberculosis at this time. However, the quantification of rib lesions offers great potential for the exploration of non‐specific chronic respiratory stress, including pulmonary tuberculosis, in prehistoric populations.