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Discovery of Prehistoric Cemetery Reveals Ohio Indians with Arthritis and Bad Teeth
Advanced periodontal disease is widespread in m olar region of the m andible o f an ancient American Indian. Notice how nearly all supporting bone has been lost, exposing most of each tooth root.
Jaws of some prehistoric Ohio settlers, in laboratory of David B. Scott, hold clues to dental disease.
D iscovery of prehistoric c e m e te ry rev ea ls Ohio Indians with arthritis and bad teeth Medical and dental scientists of the University Medical Center, Cleveland, are investigating the health of a village population which, until last summer, had been buried for a thousand years. Skeletons of these early American Indians, ancestors of the Hurons or the Iroquois, were dis covered on a farm near Port Clinton, about 80 miles west of Cleveland. The excavation of the site, covering four to five acres and thought to contain more than a thousand skeletons, was started a year ago and is being completed this summer. Apparently it was a village burial ground used for only three generations— from perhaps 825 to 900 AD. Some striking facts about the population can already be stated: Contrary to the common as sumption that primitive peoples living close to nature were healthier and heartier than civilized man, these villagers were slight in stature (5 feet 2 inches to 5 feet 4 inches) and lived com para tively short lives (40 was extreme old age) bur dened with disease— in particular, severe arthritis and very bad teeth. Such observations come from examinations of the first 250 skeletons by David B. Scott, pro fessor of physical biology, School of Dentistry, and Kingsbury G. Heiple, associate professor of orthopedic surgery, and Benjamin Kaufman, as 792
sociate professor of radiology, School of M edi cine, all of Case Western Reserve University, who are conducting the dental-medical phase of this research project. Olaf H. Prufer, formerly of CW RU and now professor of anthropology at the University of Massachusetts, discovered the site and is at present directing the dig and the cul tural anthropological study with help from pro fessors and students of CWRU, Cleveland State and Kent State universities. Because the site contains so large and homo geneous a population (covering only a 75-year span), separate from other peoples of that re mote period, it is particularly valuable for medi co-dental studies of the occurrence and incidence of disease, bone injuries (including war wounds), and the influence of heredity on genetic vari ations. Because of the sandy soil of this burial ground, the skeletons are remarkably well preserved. Only shallow burials in the top layer had been disturbed by ploughing or gophers— which led to the archaeological discovery— but 10 inches down, the graves, skeletons, and cultural remains, had been untouched for a thousand years. Rarely has such a large prehistoric population been analyzed simultaneously with the m odem technics of anthropological, medical, and dental
Skeletal remains of ancient Indian as it was unearthed. P rint made from Polaroid shot taken at site of digging.
Burial ground site near Port Clinton, Ohio. Digging proceeds in standard 5X5 feet grid pattern, by 4 inch levels for site stratigraphy.
Evidence of dental disease found in skull of an cient American Indian recently unearthed in the Ohio excavation. Notice circular bone perforations near three tooth roots, indicating untreated ab scesses.
science. Among other goals, the multidisciplinary team from the University Medical Center of Cleveland (also conferring with experts in radi ology, histology, pathology, oral pathology, and other medical sciences) will be able to find out what happens to people whose diseases were never treated. The first 250 skeletons offer abundant inform a tion on this subject. According to a preliminary research proposal by Doctor Heiple, “ almost every single complete skeleton recovered ex hibited evidence of disease, injury or genetic anomalies.” Arthritis was so prevalent that virtually every mature skeleton (18 to 40 years old) showed some form of the disease in the lower back, hip, or wrist. There were also chronic bone infections and several bone tumors. The injuries included several healed fractures and a num ber of arrow points imbedded in the spine and elsewhere. In four or five skulls there was evidence of postmor tem surgery (possibly of religious significance); a flap of the skull had been cut and rejoined. In addition, the scientists found numerous m utila tions— chiefly by decapitation. But the most precise and detailed physiologi cal information obtained about these people so far has been through the study of their teeth. U n like almost every other primitive population, whose teeth were usually worn down to the jaw in adult life, the teeth of these skeletons showed only a medium amount of wear and therefore of fered more m aterial for dental study than has previously been available in such excavations. Tooth disease was far worse in this population than has been reported for other primitive peo ples. James T. Fanno, an orthodontic graduate student working under Doctor Scott, recently received a m aster’s degree for his study of the dentition in 103 of the skulls— 88 adults and 15 children. He found that 70% of the people had abscessed teeth, more than half had lost one or more teeth (periodontal disease), and only three did not have tooth decay. Civilization— soft food and too many sweets — has always been blamed for dental caries and other tooth diseases. The refuse heaps of these ancient villagers do not show evidence of carbo hydrates (sugar and starch) as a major component of their diet. F or some unknown reason, they ate mostly fish, although m eat and other foods were available and they traded with other tribes who enjoyed a more varied fare. W hatever the ex planation, their diet may have medical and dental implications, the scientists think, which could be relevant today. 793
Jaws of some prehistoric Ohio settlers, in laboratory of David B. Scott, hold clues to dental disease.
D iscovery of prehistoric c e m e te ry rev ea ls Ohio Indians with arthritis and bad teeth Medical and dental scientists of the University Medical Center, Cleveland, are investigating the health of a village population which, until last summer, had been buried for a thousand years. Skeletons of these early American Indians, ancestors of the Hurons or the Iroquois, were dis covered on a farm near Port Clinton, about 80 miles west of Cleveland. The excavation of the site, covering four to five acres and thought to contain more than a thousand skeletons, was started a year ago and is being completed this summer. Apparently it was a village burial ground used for only three generations— from perhaps 825 to 900 AD. Some striking facts about the population can already be stated: Contrary to the common as sumption that primitive peoples living close to nature were healthier and heartier than civilized man, these villagers were slight in stature (5 feet 2 inches to 5 feet 4 inches) and lived com para tively short lives (40 was extreme old age) bur dened with disease— in particular, severe arthritis and very bad teeth. Such observations come from examinations of the first 250 skeletons by David B. Scott, pro fessor of physical biology, School of Dentistry, and Kingsbury G. Heiple, associate professor of orthopedic surgery, and Benjamin Kaufman, as 792
sociate professor of radiology, School of M edi cine, all of Case Western Reserve University, who are conducting the dental-medical phase of this research project. Olaf H. Prufer, formerly of CW RU and now professor of anthropology at the University of Massachusetts, discovered the site and is at present directing the dig and the cul tural anthropological study with help from pro fessors and students of CWRU, Cleveland State and Kent State universities. Because the site contains so large and homo geneous a population (covering only a 75-year span), separate from other peoples of that re mote period, it is particularly valuable for medi co-dental studies of the occurrence and incidence of disease, bone injuries (including war wounds), and the influence of heredity on genetic vari ations. Because of the sandy soil of this burial ground, the skeletons are remarkably well preserved. Only shallow burials in the top layer had been disturbed by ploughing or gophers— which led to the archaeological discovery— but 10 inches down, the graves, skeletons, and cultural remains, had been untouched for a thousand years. Rarely has such a large prehistoric population been analyzed simultaneously with the m odem technics of anthropological, medical, and dental
Skeletal remains of ancient Indian as it was unearthed. P rint made from Polaroid shot taken at site of digging.
Burial ground site near Port Clinton, Ohio. Digging proceeds in standard 5X5 feet grid pattern, by 4 inch levels for site stratigraphy.
Evidence of dental disease found in skull of an cient American Indian recently unearthed in the Ohio excavation. Notice circular bone perforations near three tooth roots, indicating untreated ab scesses.
science. Among other goals, the multidisciplinary team from the University Medical Center of Cleveland (also conferring with experts in radi ology, histology, pathology, oral pathology, and other medical sciences) will be able to find out what happens to people whose diseases were never treated. The first 250 skeletons offer abundant inform a tion on this subject. According to a preliminary research proposal by Doctor Heiple, “ almost every single complete skeleton recovered ex hibited evidence of disease, injury or genetic anomalies.” Arthritis was so prevalent that virtually every mature skeleton (18 to 40 years old) showed some form of the disease in the lower back, hip, or wrist. There were also chronic bone infections and several bone tumors. The injuries included several healed fractures and a num ber of arrow points imbedded in the spine and elsewhere. In four or five skulls there was evidence of postmor tem surgery (possibly of religious significance); a flap of the skull had been cut and rejoined. In addition, the scientists found numerous m utila tions— chiefly by decapitation. But the most precise and detailed physiologi cal information obtained about these people so far has been through the study of their teeth. U n like almost every other primitive population, whose teeth were usually worn down to the jaw in adult life, the teeth of these skeletons showed only a medium amount of wear and therefore of fered more m aterial for dental study than has previously been available in such excavations. Tooth disease was far worse in this population than has been reported for other primitive peo ples. James T. Fanno, an orthodontic graduate student working under Doctor Scott, recently received a m aster’s degree for his study of the dentition in 103 of the skulls— 88 adults and 15 children. He found that 70% of the people had abscessed teeth, more than half had lost one or more teeth (periodontal disease), and only three did not have tooth decay. Civilization— soft food and too many sweets — has always been blamed for dental caries and other tooth diseases. The refuse heaps of these ancient villagers do not show evidence of carbo hydrates (sugar and starch) as a major component of their diet. F or some unknown reason, they ate mostly fish, although m eat and other foods were available and they traded with other tribes who enjoyed a more varied fare. W hatever the ex planation, their diet may have medical and dental implications, the scientists think, which could be relevant today. 793