Paleopathology

Paleopathology, also spelled palaeopathology, is the study of ancient diseases and injuries in organisms through the examination of fossils, mummified tissue, skeletal remains, and analysis of coprolites. Specific sources in the study of ancient human diseases may include early documents, illustrations from early books, painting and sculpture from the past. All these objects provide information on the evolution of diseases as well as how past civilizations treated conditions. Studies have historically focused on humans, although there is no evidence that humans are more prone to pathologies than any other animal.^[1]

The word paleopathology is derived from the Ancient Greek roots of palaios (παλαιός) meaning "old", pathos (πάθος) meaning "experience" or "suffering", and -logia (-λογία), "study".^[2]^{[page needed]}

Paleopathology is an interdisciplinary science, meaning it involves knowledge from many sectors including (but not limited to) "clinical pathology, human osteology, epidemiology, social anthropology, and archaeology".^[3] It is unlikely that one person can be fluent in all necessary sciences. Therefore, those trained in each are important and make up a collective study. Training in anthropology and archaeology is arguably most important, because the analysis of human remains and ancient artifacts are paramount to the discovery of early disease.

^ Hogenboom, Melissa (31 October 2015). "The animal that doesn't get cancer". BBC-Earth. BBC. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
^ Ortner, Donald J (2003). Identification of Pathological Conditions in Human Skeletal Remains. Elsevier. ISBN 978-0-12-528628-2.
^ Snoddy, Anne Marie E.; Beaumont, Julia; Buckley, Hallie R.; Colombo, Antony; Halcrow, Siân E.; Kinaston, Rebecca L.; Vlok, Melandri (2020-03-01). "Sensationalism and speaking to the public: Scientific rigour and interdisciplinary collaborations in palaeopathology". International Journal of Paleopathology. 28: 88–91. doi:10.1016/j.ijpp.2020.01.003. hdl:10454/17640. ISSN 1879-9817. PMID 32028057. S2CID 211045216.

[1] Hogenboom, Melissa (31 October 2015). "The animal that doesn't get cancer". BBC-Earth. BBC. Retrieved 24 August 2016.

[2] Ortner, Donald J (2003). Identification of Pathological Conditions in Human Skeletal Remains. Elsevier. ISBN 978-0-12-528628-2.

[3] Snoddy, Anne Marie E.; Beaumont, Julia; Buckley, Hallie R.; Colombo, Antony; Halcrow, Siân E.; Kinaston, Rebecca L.; Vlok, Melandri (2020-03-01). "Sensationalism and speaking to the public: Scientific rigour and interdisciplinary collaborations in palaeopathology". International Journal of Paleopathology. 28: 88–91. doi:10.1016/j.ijpp.2020.01.003. hdl:10454/17640. ISSN 1879-9817. PMID 32028057. S2CID 211045216.

[1]

[2]

[3]