PubMed · 11637599
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G Maurey. 1987. [Not Available].. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11637599/
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An ovoid yellowish object has been discovered in an Early Mesolithic collective burial located in the Meuse Basin: the Autours rockshelter (Prov. of Namur, Belgium). It was found among commingled hand and foot bones in a small crack of the rockshelter wall. Mineralogical, radiological and microscopic analyses showed that it was most probably a complex odontoma.
Mummies, the preserved remains of living beings from former times, bear witness across millennia to the maladies plaguing humankind. Disease, older than humanity, is better understood when examined in the context of history. Paleopathology, literally meaning "ancient suffering", is the study of disease through evaluation of ancient remains. This area of increasing medical interest offers insights into the management of public health issues and disease epidemiology. This article provides an introduction and overview to paleodermatology, the branch of dermatology concerned with the evaluation of diseases associated with the integument by examination of ancient human remains. Mummy sources, how they were made and used throughout history, and the multidisciplinary approach used to study skin diseases found in mummies is briefly described. Despite pervasive pseudopathology, a remarkable array of diseases are well substantiated in the paleorecord, including infectious, heritable, nutritional, hormonal, acquired, iatrogenic, and neoplastic disorders. Legitimate ethical concerns have been raised in the use of human remains for any purpose, with the lack of informed consent eliciting accusations of exploitation. While these studies are undertaken with certain risks, such as the acquisition of potentially dangerous or extinct infections, paleodermatology offers a unique and historical perspective on the afflictions of the skin and the way of all flesh.