Growing up different in Neolithic China: A contextualised case study and differential diagnosis of a young adult with skeletal dysplasia

Publication date: March 2020Source: International Journal of Paleopathology, Volume 28Author(s): Siân E. Halcrow, Melanie J. Miller, Anne Marie E. Snoddy, Wenquan Fan, Kate PechenkinaAbstractThis paper presents a case study of a young adult from the late Neolithic Yangshao cultural period site (∼3300–2900 years BC) of Guanjia (关家) located in Henan Province on the Central Plains of China, who has evidence for skeletal dysplasia characterised by proportional stunting of the long bones and a small axial skeleton, generalised osteopenia, and non-fusion of epiphyses. We provide a detailed differential diagnosis of skeletal dysplasia with paediatric onset and conclude that this is likely a form of hypopituitarism or hypothyroidism, an extremely rare finding within the archaeological context. This paper highlights the issues of distinguishing the forms of proportional dwarfism in palaeopathology because of the considerable variation in manifestation of these conditions. Finally, we assess whether there were any health and social implications for this person and community through the consideration of a bioarchaeology of care approach across the lifecourse, burial context, and information on social perceptions of ‘difference’ in the community.标题：中国新石器时代不同的成长历程：一个青壮年骨发育异常案例的情景分析及鉴别诊断本文以中国中原地区河南省新石器时代晚期仰韶文化关家遗址（公元前3300年～2900年）...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - Category: Pathology Source Type: research