Abstract

The human skeleton of a young adult male with marked asymmetry of the bilateral upper extremities was excavated from the Mashiki-Azamabaru site (3000–2000 BCE) on the main island of Okinawa in the southwestern archipelago of Japan. The skeleton was buried alone in a corner of the cemetery. In this study, morphological and radiographic observations were made on this skeleton, and the pathogenesis of the bone growth disorder observed in the left upper limb was discussed. The maximum diameter of the midshaft of the humerus was 13.8 mm on the left and 21.2 mm on the right. The long bones comprising the left upper extremity lost the structure of the muscle attachments except for the deltoid tubercle of the humerus. The bone morphology of the right upper extremity and the bilateral lower extremities was maintained and was close to the mean value of females from the Ohtomo site in northwestern Kyushu, Japan, during the Yayoi period. It is assumed that the anomalous bone morphology confined to the left upper extremity was secondary to the prolonged loss of function of the muscles attached to left extremity bones. In this case, birth palsy, brachial plexus injury in childhood, and acute grey matter myelitis were diagnosed. It was suggested that this person had survived into young adulthood with severe paralysis of the left upper extremity due to injury or disease at an early age.

Highlights

  • The presence of continuous external mechanical stimulation is essential for the maintenance of bone morphology and strength [1, 2]

  • We present a clinical and social differential diagnosis of a male human skeleton (Mashiki 15) with marked asymmetry of both upper extremities, excavated from the Mashiki-Azamabaru site on the main island of Okinawa, in BioMed Research International the southwestern archipelago of Japan in East Asia

  • There is no pronounced asymmetry in the remaining parts (Figure 4)

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Summary

Introduction

The presence of continuous external mechanical stimulation is essential for the maintenance of bone morphology and strength [1, 2]. Persistent paralysis of the motor nerves leads to paralysis of the corresponding muscles and restriction of bone and joint movement. This leads to a decrease in bone strength and subsequent changes in bone morphology. In the field of palaeopathology, there are not many reports of cases of bilateral asymmetry confined to the upper extremities. It would be of great palaeopathological value to discuss the significant bone asymmetry confined to the upper extremities observed in this case

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