Skeletal evidence of health and disease in pre-contact Alaskan Eskimos and Aleuts.

There have been relatively few paleopathological studies of arctic populations to date, compared to other regions of North America. Studies aimed at elucidating patterns of health and disease in arctic peoples prior to contact and assessing inter- and intraregional differences in disease patterns have been particularly few. In the present study, five pre-contact skeletal samples (N = 193), representing 4 Eskimo populations from northern coastal Alaska and 1 Aleut population from the eastern Aleutian Islands, were examined macroscopically for the following indicators of health status: cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, trauma, infection, dental caries, abscesses, antemortem tooth loss, periodontal disease, and dental attrition. In addition, archeological and epidemiological data were used to help reconstruct the health of these populations. The goals of the analysis were 2-fold: 1) to assess the pre-contact health of North Alaskan Eskimos and Aleuts in order to provide a baseline comparison for the post-contact health of these groups, and 2) to determine if any differences in disease patterns exist between the Eskimos and Aleuts that might be related to differences in their physical environment, subsistence patterns, and cultural practices. The analysis revealed that both groups suffered from a variety of health problems prior to contact, including iron deficiency anemia, trauma, infection, and various forms of dental pathology. Statistical comparisons of the 2 groups revealed that Eskimos and Aleuts had different patterns of health and disease prior to contact. Most notably, the Aleuts had a significantly higher frequency of cranial trauma and infracranial infection than the Eskimos, while the latter had a significantly higher frequency of enamel hypoplasia. An examination of the physical and cultural environment of the 2 groups reveals several possible explanations for these differences, including warfare, subsistence pursuits, and housing practices. The documentation of these differences indicates that variability in pre-contact disease patterns can be identified between hunter-gatherer populations living in similar environments and exhibiting similar general lifestyles.

Recent fertility and mortality trends among aboriginal and nonaboriginal populations of central Siberia.

We examine mortality and fertility patterns of aboriginal (primarily Evenki and Keto) and Russian (i.e., nonaboriginal) populations from the Baykit District of Central Siberia for the period 1982-1994. Mortality rates in the aboriginal population of Baykit are substantially greater than those observed in the Russians and are comparable to levels recently reported for other indigenous Siberian groups. Infant mortality rates average 48 per 1000 live births among Baykit aboriginals, three times greater than the Russians of the district (15 per 1000 births) and more than double the rates for Inuit and Indian populations of Canada. Similarly, crude death rates of the Baykit aboriginals are twice as high as those observed in either the Baykit Russians or the Canadian aboriginal populations (13 vs 6-7 deaths per 1000 individuals). Birth rates of the indigenous population of Baykit are higher than those of the Russians (33 vs. 15 births per 1000 individuals) but are comparable to those of Canadian aboriginal groups. Violence and accidents are the leading causes of adult male mortality in both ethnic groups, whereas circulatory diseases have emerged as the prime cause of death in women. The greater male mortality resulting from violence and accidents is a widely observed cross-cultural phenomenon. The emergence of circulatory diseases as a major mortality risk for women, however, appears to be linked to specific lifestyle changes associated with Soviet reorganization of indigenous Siberian societies. Marked declines in mortality and increases in fertility were observed in the Baykit aboriginal population during the mid to late 1980s with the government's implementation of anti-alcohol policies. The decline in mortality, however, was largely erased during the early 1990s, as the region became increasingly isolated and marginalized following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Demographic trends in the Baykit District suggest that because the indigenous groups have become more isolated, many are returning to a more traditional subsistence lifestyle.

PIP: This study compares fertility and mortality patterns among the aboriginal and Russian population in the Evenk Autonomous Region in Siberia. Data were obtained from birth and death records at Baykit Hospital during 1982-94 for the population of the district capital at Baykit and nine isolated rural villages. The indigenous population are semi-subsistence reindeer herders. Cause of death data were obtained from a subsample of 164 persons (101 aboriginals and 24 Russians) from Surinda, Poligus, and Sulamai villages. Findings indicate that aboriginal populations had higher mortality rates. Infant mortality was three times higher than in the Russian population at 48.2 infant aboriginal deaths per 1000 births. The crude death rate among aboriginals was double that of Russians at 12.9 deaths per 1000 aboriginals. The crude birth rate was 33 per 1000 aboriginals. The rate of natural increase was an estimated 2% annually among aboriginals and 1% among Russians. Infant mortality and crude death rates among aboriginals were twice as high as among aboriginals in Canada. Canadian and Siberian aboriginal crude birth rates were similar. In both Russian and aboriginal groups, violent and accidental deaths showed strong gender differences. 56% of male aboriginals and 59% of male Russians died from accidents and violence, while only 31% of aboriginal women and 29% of Russian women did. Most Russian accidental and violent deaths were due to asphyxia and poisoning, while most aboriginal accidental and violent deaths were due to gunshot trauma, in part due to alcohol consumption. About 33% of deaths among aboriginal women and 29% among Russian women were due to circulatory diseases. Russian mortality has remained stable over the last 13 years. Aboriginal mortality and fertility fluctuated. The Russian population grew more rapidly over the past 13 years, but levels varied between villages and between villages and Baykit.

Unilateral ectrodactyly, metatarsal synostosis, and hypoplasia in an Eskimo.

A unilateral foot deformity in an archaeological specimen from Point Hope, Alaska, is presented. Radiographic and gross examination of the bones of the malformed left foot suggests that this adult female suffered from a rare and possibly unique limb deficiency presenting as unilateral congenital absence of the phalanges, synostosis and hypoplasia of the metatarsals, and mild hypoplasia of the calcaneus.