Skeletal and radiological manifestations of child abuse: Implications for study in past populations

Ross, Ann H.; Juarez, Chelsey A.

doi:10.1002/ca.22683

Cited by 17 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 49 publications

(86 reference statements)

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“…In Case Study 2, Figure 11 provides the results for a 13-year-old, female recovered from a clandestine grave with a suspected history of longterm abuse. Numerous antemortem fractures were evident and patterning was consistent with child abuse 85 . Current standards to assess malnutrition in juveniles include comparison of long bone lengths to a reference sample.…”

Section: Representative Resultsmentioning

confidence: 76%

“…This is because if remains have been diagenetically altered, the BMC will not be an accurate reflection of BMD during life if mineral exchange or catabolism has occurred 55 . For example, Ross and Juarez 85 present a case where infanticide was suspected that may have been due to fatal starvation. However, traditional methods were chosen because the friability of the remains suggested extensive taphonomic alteration as the remains had been buried for approximately four years beneath a shed prior to discovery…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts

Hale

Ross

2018

JoVE

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The purpose of this paper is to introduce a promising, novel method to aid in the assessment of bone quality in forensically relevant skeletal remains. BMD is an important component of bone's nutritional status and in skeletal remains of both juveniles and adults, and it can provide information about bone quality. For adults remains, it can provide information on pathological conditions or when bone insufficiency may have occurred. In juveniles, it provides a useful metric to elucidate cases of fatal starvation or neglect, which are generally difficult to identify. This paper provides a protocol for the anatomical orientation and analysis of skeletal remains for scanning via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Three case studies are presented to illustrate when DXA scans can be informative to the forensic practitioner. The first case study presents an individual with observed longitudinal fractures in the weight bearing bones and DXA is used to assess bone insufficiency. BMD is found to be normal suggesting another etiology for the fracture pattern present. The second case study employed DXA to investigate suspected chronic malnutrition. The BMD results are consistent with results from long bone lengths and suggest the juvenile had suffered from chronic malnutrition. The final case study provides an example where fatal starvation in a fourteen-month infant is suspected, which supports autopsy findings of fatal starvation. DXA scans showed low bone mineral density for chronological age and is substantiated by traditional assessments of infant health. However, when dealing with skeletal remains taphonomic alterations should be considered before applying this method.

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Section: Representative Resultsmentioning

confidence: 76%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts

Hale

Ross

2018

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“…These cases suggest that physical punishment was not uncommon in the Roman world. Child abuse is considered as a likely diagnosis when multiple injuries from different events are recognizable (Ross & Juarez, ; Symes et al, ). Despite the presence of a case of child abuse already identified in contemporary remains at the Michelet necropolis, the injuries in the current study can be differentiated from this form of injury.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, immature bone can repair and remodel skeletal injury rapidly. It is estimated that in general, healthy young children have a bone turnover rate 10 times faster than adults, but the rate depends on factors including the bone fractured, age, ancestry and sex (Ross & Juarez, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Childhood Cranial Trauma from a Late Roman and Merovingian Context from Michelet, Lisieux, France

Timmins

Seréville‐Niel²,

Brickley

2017

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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The Michelet necropolis in Lisieux, France, dating to the late Roman and Merovingian period, comprises of a large number of well-preserved subadult remains offering a unique opportunity to better understand childhood trauma in the past. The focus of this study was to determine the amount, type and mechanisms of trauma evidenced in subadults from the 4th-8th century AD, and explore potential circumstances surrounding the trauma. The remains of 109 subadults from the Michelet necropolis were examined for the presence of cranial and post-cranial trauma. Three individuals exhibited perimortem trauma, one individual had an antemortem cranial injury, and no cases of post-cranial trauma were identified. Cranial trauma affected 4.1% of children with observable cranial remains (N = 4/97). The children affected were young (2-7 years old), making it unlikely that they would have participated in militaristic activities. Based on the location, morphology and mechanism of injury identified, it is likely that the perimortem injuries sustained by three children were not accidental. The presence of a number of cranial injuries from this site may be related to increased stress in the community related to the decline of the Roman Empire in Gaul, possible raiding barbarian groups during the 4th-5th centuries, or stresses related to the Gallic aristocracy solidifying political powers in northern Gaul during the 5th-7th centuries AD. The consideration and inclusion of childhood trauma in bioarchaeological analyses allows for a more detailed and in-depth understanding of violence and childhood in the past. Copyright

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“…commonly mentioned are nutritional disorders (malnutrition, protein, vitamin, and mineral deficiencies), a history of smallpox, pneumonia or other diseases, food poisoning, or alcohol abuse (Nowak 1996). Among newer concepts, HLs can be linked to child abuse (Ross and Juarez 2016), systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (Sifuentes Giraldo et al 2016), tortures (Traczek 2017), psychosocial short stature (Kaspar Hauser syndrome; Khadilkar et al, 1998) osteopetrosis, hyper/hypoparathyroidism, sclerosing, spondylosis, radiation exposure, Cushing's Syndrome, rickets, avascular necrosis, osteoporosis, congenital syphilis, Paget's Disease, leukemia, scurvy, bone fracture (Sajko et al 2011), and probably many more diseases and detrimental conditions. The wide spectrum of possible etiologies causes HLs to be considered as an indicator of an unspecific physiological stress or difficult living conditions rather than a specific diagnostic marker (Papageorgopoulou et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How to calculate the age at formation of Harris lines? A step-by-step review of current methods and a proposal for modifications to Byers’ formulas

Kulus

Dąbrowski

2019

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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Harris lines (HL; also known as Bgrowth arrest lines^or Btransverse radiopaque lines^) are horizontal sclerotic lines formed in the metaphyseal or diaphyseal part of long bones, usually visualized using X-ray images. Among the factors that may lead to a temporary arrest of bone growth (and thus-to HL deposition), the most commonly mentioned are nutritional disorders (malnutrition, protein, vitamin, and mineral deficiencies), a history of smallpox, pneumonia or other diseases, food poisoning, or alcohol abuse. The position of the HL is related to the period of incidence of physiological stress inhibiting bone growth, which enables the estimation of the age at which the subject was exposed to it. Such information can be valuable in the study on archeological populations; therefore, various methods have been developed to determine the age of HL deposition. In this review, six known methods for calculating the age of HL origin are presented and compared: Allison/McHenry, Hunt and Hatch, Clarke, Hummert and van Gerven, and Maat and Byers' methods. In addition, the authors propose here a modification to the last method in order to enable calculations on non-adult bones.

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Skeletal and radiological manifestations of child abuse: Implications for study in past populations

Cited by 17 publications

References 49 publications

Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts

Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts

Childhood Cranial Trauma from a Late Roman and Merovingian Context from Michelet, Lisieux, France

How to calculate the age at formation of Harris lines? A step-by-step review of current methods and a proposal for modifications to Byers’ formulas

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