The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease

Gowland, Rebecca; Caldwell, Jennifer L.

doi:10.4324/9781003130994-31

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Defects in multiple teeth forming at different ages therefore provide insights into the systemic and chronic nature of the underlying causes of these. The presence of defects in deciduous teeth can be linked to inter-generational health deficits and maternal nutritional deficiencies [ 113 , 114 ]. If the mother continues to be grossly malnourished, or in poor health after her infant is born, then this can affect the quality and quantity of the milk that she provides to her offspring [ 115 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The expendables: Bioarchaeological evidence for pauper apprentices in 19th century England and the health consequences of child labour

et al. 2023

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Child labour is the most common form of child abuse in the world today, with almost half of child workers employed in hazardous industries. The large-scale employment of children during the rapid industrialisation of the late 18th and early 19th centuries in England is well documented. During this period, the removal of pauper children from workhouses in cities to work as apprentices in rural mills in the North of England was commonplace. Whilst the experiences of some of these children have been recorded historically, this study provides the first direct evidence of their lives through bioarchaeological analysis. The excavation of a rural churchyard cemetery in the village of Fewston, North Yorkshire, yielded the skeletal remains of 154 individuals, including an unusually large proportion of children aged between 8 to 20 years. A multi-method approach was undertaken, including osteological and palaeopathological examination, stable isotope and amelogenin peptide analysis. The bioarchaeological results were integrated with historical data regarding a local textile mill in operation during the 18th-19th centuries. The results for the children were compared to those obtained from contemporaneous individuals of known identity (from coffin plates) of comparable date. Most of the children exhibited distinctive ‘non-local’ isotope signatures and a diet low in animal protein when compared to the named local individuals. These children also showed severe growth delays and pathological lesions indicative of early life adversity, as well as respiratory disease, which is a known occupational hazard of mill work. This study has provided unique insights into the harrowing lives of these children; born into poverty and forced to work long hours in dangerous conditions. This analysis provides a stark testimony of the impacts of industrial labour on the health, growth and mortality risk of children, with implications for the present as well as our understanding of the past.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The expendables: Bioarchaeological evidence for pauper apprentices in 19th century England and the health consequences of child labour

et al. 2023

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“…The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) hypothesis, initially developed out of epidemiological research (Hales & Barker, 2001), has characterized the first 1000 days of life (from initial conception) as a particularly sensitive and plastic window of growth and development. DOHaD has become an important component of paleopathological and life history studies of health in the past (Armelagos et al, 2009;Barker, 2007;Barker et al, 2002;Gluckman et al, 2007;Gluckman & Hanson, 2006;Gowland & Caldwell, 2022).…”

Section: Physiological Stress and Enamel Growth And Disruptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nostalgia for the old country—A histological exploration of early childhood physiological stress experiences in colonial Otago, New Zealand

Kavale‐Henderson,

Buckley,

King

et al. 2024

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Many mid‐19th‐century immigrants to New Zealand are presumed to have been in pursuit of a “better life” than was achievable in their origin countries. Here, we utilize histological analyses of internal indicators of enamel growth disruption (accentuated lines [ALs]) in 19 European and Chinese immigrants and five colony‐born children from three 19th‐century Otago sites. Observations of regular enamel microstructure were used to estimate a chronology of periods of enamel growth disruption. Clear or potential ALs were present in 18/19 (95%) adults and 4/5 (80%) subadults. Mean occurrence of ALs was higher in Chinese individuals than in European individuals between birth and 1 year of age (Chinese mean = 11; European mean = 3.8) and between 3 and 5 years of age (Chinese mean = 12.7; European mean = 1.3). Potential prenatal ALs were observed in three colony‐born children. Although similar stressors such as malnutrition and infectious disease would have been present in both Europe and China, their expression in these individuals may reflect the embodiment of different push factors that stimulated emigration to New World colonies such as New Zealand. The presence of ALs in colony‐born children indicates some continuation of developmental stressors in New Zealand. The results presented here highlight the value of utilizing microscopic analyses on poorly preserved archeological samples that are frequently excluded from histological examination. This preliminary glimpse into enamel formation disruption challenges the ubiquitous 19th‐century narrative of New Zealand as free from the hardships of industrial revolution era Europe and sheds light on the stresses of childhoods spent in rural China and the potential attractions of the Pacific goldfields in comparison. Future work with larger sample sizes will contribute to a critical exploration of experiences of childhood physiological stress in those who lived and died in colonial New Zealand.

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Dying of pestilence: Stature and mortality from the Black Death in 14th‐century Kyrgyzstan

Hansen,

DeWitte,

Slavin

2024

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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ObjectivesBioarchaeological studies have provided important information about mortality patterns during the second pandemic of plague, including the Black Death, but most to date have focused on European contexts. This study represents a spatial contribution to plague bioarchaeology, focusing on Central Asia, the origin of the second pandemic. We examine the relationship between stature and plague mortality during an outbreak of plague at Kara‐Djigach in northern Kyrgyzstan in 1338–1339, the earliest archaeological site known to contain victims of the Black Death in Eurasia.MethodsThis study uses epigraphic data and in situ measurements from the Syriac Christian cemeteries at Kara‐Djigach, obtained from field notes from excavations conducted by Russian archaeologists in the 1880s (n = 34 individuals). The epigraphic data provide detailed information about the interred individuals, including occupations, year of death, and gender. In situ measurements provide data on adult stature. This study uses chi‐square and Fisher's exact tests to examine relationships between stature and plague at the site.ResultsWe find evidence that relatively short people were disproportionately affected by plague when compared with non‐plague years.DiscussionThese results might reflect increased mortality risks from plague based on exposure to early life biological stress events.

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The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

The expendables: Bioarchaeological evidence for pauper apprentices in 19th century England and the health consequences of child labour

The expendables: Bioarchaeological evidence for pauper apprentices in 19th century England and the health consequences of child labour

Nostalgia for the old country—A histological exploration of early childhood physiological stress experiences in colonial Otago, New Zealand

Dying of pestilence: Stature and mortality from the Black Death in 14th‐century Kyrgyzstan

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