Scurvy, anaemia, and rickets under the microscope - Light-microscopy supported investigation of malnutrition in subadult skeletal remains from the medieval central mountain village of Winnefeld (Lower Saxony, Germany).

Abstract

In the hilly region of Solling in Central Germany, a large number of abandoned medieval settlements is known. In an excavation project of a church ruin and cemetery of the abandoned village Winnefeld from the 12th to 14th century CE, 165 individuals were excavated and anthropologically examined, including a light microscopic investigation. Among these individuals, 105 subadults were identified, from the age-at-death of pre-natal (stillborn) infants, up to juveniles, with the large majority of infants up to two years of age-at-death. Among the subadults, scurvy was frequently diagnosed. In more than 30% of the individuals, evidence or at least hints towards the diagnosis of scurvy were observed. Anaemia and rickets were less frequent (about 6% and 7%), however, still common. The light microscopic investigation, conducted as series standard, proved itself as a useful additional method in distinguishing vestiges of different illnesses, especially in non-extreme, questionable cases. Sometimes, however, it even resulted in a change of diagnosis of formerly supposed "clear" cases.