Histological analysis and etiology of a pathological iguanodontian femur from England.

Derived ornithopods, such as hadrosaurids, show a high occurrence of fossilized lesions and diseases. However, paleopathologies in iguanodontians seem to be less common, considering the rich fossil record of these taxa in Europe, in particular in Belgium, Britain and Spain. Here, we describe an iguanodontian femur discovered in England that exhibits a large overgrowth of its lateral aspect, not previously recognized in any other similar remains. The specimen was scanned with micro-computed tomography (microCT) and later sectioned in three sites of the overgrowth for histological analysis. The femur belongs to an early adult Iguanodontia indet., based on the presence of a woven parallel fibered complex in the outer cortex and three to four lines of arrested growth. Internal analysis of the dome-like overgrowth suggests it can be diagnosed as a fracture callus. The injury might have negatively impacted upon the animal's locomotion as the trauma had occurred in the region above the knee, a crucial spot for hindlimb musculature. Finally, a cancellous medullary bone-like tissue was recognized in the medullary cavity next to the pathological overgrowth. An attempt was made to determine the precise nature of this tissue, as medullary bone is linked with the ovulation period in (avian) dinosaurs, whereas other types of endosteal, medullary bone-like tissue have previously been recognized in pathological bones.

The Greek hero Achilles and his mysterious death: transdisciplinary analysis of the gouty hypothesis.

Achilles is a character of Greek mythology whose deeds are mainly told in the Iliad by Homer. Achilles distinguishes himself on the battlefield of Troy with his dexterity and strength, appearing invincible, yet he dies wounded by an arrow in his heel. How could an arrow shot to the heel kill anybody, no matter whether vulnerable or invulnerable? Many researchers have tried to give a medical explanation to this mythological conundrum starting from a literary interpretation of the Homeric text: poisoning, infection, allergy, haemophilia or thyroid storm. In a way, the oldest medical interpretation was suggested by Lucian of Samosata (ca. 120 to after 180 AD). In his parodic tragedy "Gout", he claimed that the warrior actually died of gout. In this article we consider the gouty hypothesis and analyse the clinical aspects that support it.

First-time complete visualization of a preserved meningeal artery in the mummy of Nakht-ta-Netjeret (ca. 950 BC).

The preservation of the meningeal artery in ancient mummified bodies, particularly in anthropogenic Egyptian mummies, is a highly controversial topic in neuroscience and anthropological research. A recent (2015) debate between Wade and Isidro, based on the interpretation of the meningeal grooves and cast in a skull from the necropolis of Kom al-Ahmar Sharuna (Egypt), highlighted both the necessity of having clear radiological descriptions of this anatomical structure and of assessing large collections of mummified crania. Here, we present for the first time an instance of extremely well-preserved middle meningeal artery in the mummy of the ancient Egyptian dignitary Nakht-ta-Netjeret (ca. 950 BC), still inside the meninx, using paleo-radiological techniques. We finally link this find with experimental data from the neurological literature on the methodology of excerebration implemented by ancient Egyptian embalmers.

Correction to: Did Antonio Vallisneri (1661-1730) really describe frontal sinus osteoma? Unexpected insights for paleo-neuroparasitology.

The third sentence from the beginning in our article.

The Gladiator's Tears: Epiphora From Ancient Rome.

This article examines the clinical presentation of epiphora in Ancient Rome through the historico-medical analysis of the literary evidence provided by the verses by the poet Juvenal in his Satire VI. A gladiator's ophthalmological problem is interpreted as epiphora caused by traumatic injuries to the craniofacial region, compatible with those described in the palaeopathological literature. This analysis also focuses on the history of epiphora in antiquity and its treatment.

The earliest known case of frontal sinus osteoma in man.

Frontal sinus osteoma is a relatively common finding in the modern clinical setting. Although, its paleopathological record is not in dispute, its presence in Ancient Egypt has never been clarified. The aim of this article is to contribute to the debate. An Egyptian mummy head from the Musée d'Éthnographie de Neuchâtel (Switzerland) was studied radiologically and the obtained evidence was contextualized in the wider frame of multidisciplinary paleopathology. A 128-slice CT scanner was used for further investigation; datasets were processed with OsiriX-64 bit (version 5.8.5), and multiplanar (MPR) and volumetric reconstructions were performed. A small hyperdense and well-defined structure, most likely an osteoma, was identified in the right frontal sinus. Frontal sinus osteoma definitely existed in Ancient Egypt. Finally, this represents the oldest case in anatomically modern humans so far reported. Clin. Anat.32:105-109, 2019. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A Case of Sudden Death in Decameron IV.6: Aortic Dissection or Atrial Myxoma?

Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron contains a novella that details the sudden death of a young man called Gabriotto, including a portrayal of the discomfort that the protagonist experienced and a rudimentary autopsy performed by local physicians. The intriguing description of symptoms and pathologies has made it possible to read a 7-century-old case through the modern clinical lens. Thanks to the medical and philological analysis of the text-despite the vast difference between modern and medieval medicine-2 hypothetical diagnoses have emerged: either an aortic dissection or an atrial myxoma.

Untargeted metabolomics-like screening approach for chemical characterization and differentiation of canopic jar and mummy samples from Ancient Egypt using GC-high resolution MS.

In Ancient Egypt it was common practice to embalm corpses and specific internal organs to ensure eternal life. The exact nature of the employed embalming fluids, particularly for organ preservation within the canopic jars, is debated. Therefore, the aim of the current study, was to chemically characterize and differentiate canopic jars (n = 28) and mummies (n = 6) using gas chromatography - high resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HR MS) with a new untargeted metabolomics-like screening approach; as part of a larger minimal-invasive transdisciplinary study on Ancient Egyptian human tissues. Post-analytical data processing included deconvolution, screening against the NIST 14 spectral database as well as a high resolution metabolomics library, and positive peak evaluation. In the majority of samples the presence of a coniferous resin was indicated by the detection of longiborneol in combination with abietadiene acid derivatives and guajacol. Beeswax, proposedly used for symbolic reasons and/or as a binding agent, was detected in 10 samples. Previously not mentioned in the literature, but identified in the current sample set, were medical-related substances like aniseed constituents, salicylic acid, chamazulene and jacobine. By applying an untargeted metabolomics-like approach to archaeological samples for the first time, extensive statistical analysis was made possible (using both identified and non-identified features; adding up to 4381 features), which showed significant differences in the overall chemical composition of canopic jar and mummy samples using principle component analysis (PCA) and partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). This emphasizes the necessity for more extensive canopic jar studies in the future in order to interpret findings correctly.

Egyptian Canopic Jars at the Crossroad of Medicine and Archaeology: Overview of 100 Years of Research and Future Scientific Expectations.

Ancient Egyptian human remains have been of interest in the fields of both medical and Egyptological research for decades. However, canopic jar holders for internal organs (liver, lungs, stomach, intestines) of Egyptian mummies appear to be but a very occasional source of data for such investigations. The few medical approaches focusing on the content of these jars are summarized and listed according to pathogens and diseases to give a structured overview of this field of study. An extensive search of the literature has been conducted from different bibliographic databases with a total of n = 26 studies found. The majority of diseases found consisted of infectious diseases and internal medicine conditions such as schistosomiasis or emphysema. These are just 2 examples of many that, instead of primarily affecting bone, muscle or skin, specifically target internal organs. Hence, a better understanding of the evolution of diseases that still affect mankind could be gained. In conclusion, this reassessment shows that canopic jars represent a highly underestimated source for histological, radiological and ancient DNA examination of Ancient Egyptian remains and should, thus, be more and more brought back into the focus of retrospective medical research.

Did Antonio Vallisneri (1661-1730) really describe frontal sinus osteoma? Unexpected insights for paleo-neuroparasitology.

It has been believed for a long time that the Paduan scholar Antonio Vallisneri (1661-1730) described the second historical case of the frontal sinus osteoma in 1733. By historico-medically reexamining this case, we conclude that the brain concretions he described were not a case of frontal sinus osteoma, while they appear to have been pathological outcomes of neurocysticercosis, whose larval stages would only be described by Johann Goeze (1731-1793) later, in 1784. Thus, this case becomes relevant for the history of neuroparasitology.

St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380 AD): one of the earliest historic cases of altered gustatory perception in anorexia mirabilis.

St. Catherine of Siena suffered from an extreme form of holy fasting, a condition classified as anorexia mirabilis (also known as inedia prodigiosa). Historical and medical scholarships alike have drawn a comparison between this primaeval type of anorexia with a relatively common form of eating disorder among young women in the modern world, anorexia nervosa. St. Catherine's condition was characterised by a disgust for sweet taste, a condition also described in anorexia nervosa, and characterised by specific neurophysiological changes in the brain. St. Catherine's case may be considered one of the oldest veritable descriptions of altered gustation (dysgeusia). Moreover, a more compelling neurophysiological similarity between anorexia mirabilis and anorexia nervosa may be proposed.

Potential case of gynecomastia in mummified remains of an early modern period northern finnish vicar.

We report possibly the oldest evidence of gynecomastia in mummified human remains. Computed tomography was performed on the mummified remains of an early 17th century Northern Finnish vicar. The examination of the scans revealed large bilateral subareolar irregular masses resembling female mammary glands. The nearly septuagenarian vicar appears to have had gynecomastia, as it is a common condition in elderly men, and is sometimes associated with obesity. Gynecomastia is the most likely explanation for these findings. Clin. Anat. 31:641-644, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Palaeopathology: Current challenges and medical impact.

Palaeopathology is the science which studies ancient human diseases. Throughout its relatively young history it underwent tremendous technological and methodological improvements (from pure morphology and histology to CT scanning) that have constantly reshaped its scientific rationale. Among other achievements, the study of mummies and fossilized hominids has allowed to effectively extract ancient DNA, prove the existence of atherosclerosis in ancient times, demonstrate the presence of disease vectors, better clarify the etiology of infectious diseases otherwise only postulated on the basis of ancient accounts as well as to show the presence of spine pathology in our hominid ancestors. The research levels in this discipline are three: basic research, individual cases, population. The first and the third levels contribute most to the discipline, while the second is the one more appealing to the general public on account of its description of important cases reports. In addition, a recently introduced sub-specialty of palaeopathology, pathography is aiming to use an interdisciplinary approach to find traces of diseases in ancient literary sources and artistic representations. In spite of its discoveries, palaeopathology is not always viewed positively by clinicians because certain old-fashioned techniques are still due to technical restrictions. The authors provide a set of suggestions on how to strengthen the scientific recognition of this subject and explain at length how it could contribute to the progress of medical research. Clin. Anat. 29:816-822, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.