Notes on some skeletal changes in pre-European contact Australian aborigines

A. T. Sandison

Notes on some Skeletal Changes in PreEuropean Contact Australian Aborigines

Department of Pathology, University of Glasgow, Western Injirmary, Glasgow, Scotland Received 22 October 1978 and accepted 15 December

This is a brief account of skeletal changes noted in large collections of pre-European contact Australian aboriginal remains. These changes included evidence of conaenital anomalies, dental disease, degenerative arthropathy, trauma and infection. -The most in&resting infective process is treponarid.

1978

Keywords: skeletal changes, Australian aborigines.

1. Introduction Before

the coming

of the European

efficient

hunter-gatherer

Carthy,

1967a;

compassing

society

Mulvaney,

the indigenous

with

1969).

They

the visual arts (McCarthy,

ology (Mountford,

1968;

Massola,

that white men rapidly Greenway,

perished

1973 ; and Berndt

Genocide

led to the complete

1965)

and virtual

and West Australia remaining

& Berndt,

1963;

if any, now live in the old fashion 1969;

radios (Reay,

Pilling

Thus interest

the patterns

Northern

relations

1969),

(Elkin,

1948;

and the abori-

1951;

some so arid

Hilliard,

1968 ;

1973). of the Tasmanian

aborigines

of those in Victoria. numbers

Mountford,

1967;

with smaller Robinson

and desert nomadic

(Macintosh

In the Northern

populations

& Baglin,

&

Territor) in the

1968).

Few,

groups may play pop music on

of Territories,

1967;

Gamack,

in contemporary

from those in the pre-contact

Medical

1969;

Stanner,

Service,

period

aborigines (Abbie,

1969,

are of 1971;

1970).

is the absence

in incidence

en-

music and myth-

including

Simpson,

(Mc-

rich culture

were complex

environments

of disease and state of health

An obvious example

Trezise,

were an

capacity

1970).

different

Territories

rapid increase

19676;

Social

1964; Department

& Waterman,

but much

an unusually

there are still substantial

states (Lockwood,

transistor

had, however,

extinction

destruction

of Australia

technological

inhospitable

in them

inhabitants

palaeolithic

1966,

1968).

gines were able to thrive in extremely

Barker,

only

of dental caries in the pre-contact skeletons when white man’s “tucker” replaced the old diet.

and a

2. Material The

skeletal

Department

material

studied

of Anatomy

of Victoria

as well as smaller

Canberra,

the Department

Museum

in Sydney,

comprised

that

of the University collections of Anatomy

the South Australian

in the Murray

of Melbourne

Black

held in the Australian of the University Museum

Collection

and in the National Institute

of Sydney,

in Adelaide,

of the Museum

of Anatomy

in

the Australian

the Queensland

Museum,

and the School of Anatomy and Department of Anthropology of the University of Brisbane. A full analysis has not been made but many hundreds of skeletons were examined. Not all were complete

but the majority

comprised

much of the individual

skeleton

(Sandison,

1973). Journal 0047-2484/80/010045

+ 07 $02.00/O

of Human Evolution 6

(1980) 9, 45-47

1980 Academic

Press Inc. (London)

Limited

46

A. T. SANDISON

3. Observations In the skeletal material skull.

Many

Among

the more noteworthy

two vertebral namely

minor congenital

of these are trivial bodies.

hare-lip

One

anomalies

anomaly

was noted

and cleft palate in a 12 year-old

in the

concerned.

and fusions of

in the Melbourne

child, see Plate

collections,

1. Another

two speci-

as cleft palate were shown to me by Mr Alan Thornc

Canberra and by Mr Stanley Larnach in Sydney. cidence and supports the statement that Australian babies since the nomadic

existence

example

rarely permitted

Plate 2 shows an excellent

joint.

This must have been associated with severe disability. Radiography

in

This cannot represent the true inaborigines abandoned or destroyed

tion.

1936) was not infrequent.

especially

to the individual

are fusions of the atlas to the skull occiput major

mens which must be interpreted

imperfect

are not infrequent,

and of no consequence

of dislocated

adequate

shoulder

care and atten-

with formation

“Boomerang”

of false

tibia (Hackett,

was not helpful in deciding on possible aetiology :

it may be genetic. Dental caries was confirmed

to be very rare although

of molar roots (especially

of the 6th teeth),

common

Mushrooming

(see Plate

3).

change in the temporal of significant

and impacted

Occasional external

auditory

No trephined

of trauma rare

hyperostosis Healed

of much grit in the diet.

frontalis fractures

The commonest

Incisor

Carabelli

factor is unlikely material

is not seen.

Rarely

to have been operative Damage

crowding tubercles,

changes

in the

“osteoma”

of the

in the aborigines. bu!lets has

the more gross aspects of genocide.

by blunt instruments Biparietal

associated”

due to fairly high velocity

and documents

in children.

interna

occur and also reactive

Mastoiditis

This is often said to be “swimming-pool

to the cranium

except

period.

are the

The presence

of dental cysts are also seen.

hypertrophy

skulls were discovered.

been noted in post-contact Evidence

examples

of turbinate

meatus is noted.

but such an aetiological

consequent

teeth, absence or small size of the 8th teeth and supernumerary

Excellent

examples

with

phenomena

of one or more upper incisor teeth.

sinus due to chronic infection.

extremely

These

dental caries places a skeleton in the post-contact

molars are not rare. maxillary

condyles

part of the joint is also fairly frequent.

as is ritual removal

adventitious

and root abscesses are not un-

of the mandibular

result of the toughness of food and of the presence is common

gross tooth wear, lateral rotation

pulp exposure

is not rare.

hyperostosis,

Cribra

biparietal

orbitalia

thinning

is

and

have not been seen.

of long bones,

site is the forearm,

some of considerable presumably

severity,

are not infrequent.

the result of warding off real or simulated

Violence may well have been offered during tribal, family or combative activities. domestic discord. Similar observations have been made on Egyptian skeletons resulting from a “game” weapons,

played with a heavy staff.

complicated

by superadded

There

purulent

is also evidence infection.

This

of trauma, has been

by sharp

noted

in the

wrist region and lower thigh. Two examples of totally arthrodesed knee joints might have been the result of spear wounds. Kxtensively cornminuted fractures of femur healed soundly and pay tribute to intrinsic healing ability as well as social cam by the tribal groups (see Plate 4). Such injuries must have required devoted attention over 1 ery prolonged periods. There is some evidence of non-specific periostitis (possibly again of traumatic origin) but none of classical osteo-myelitis as seen in European material. Severe degenerative joint

disease of the osteo-arthritis

type has been noted in hip, knee, ankle,

elbow and

Plate I. hIdbOLU-IV?.

Skull of 12 year-old child with harelip and cleft palate.

I’latc 2. Congenital ostroarthritic change.

Plate 3. Severe attrition formation. hlelbournc.

dislocation Melbourne.

of shoulder

wit11 false joint

and

of teeth: exposure of pulp and dental abscess

PRE-CONTACT

spine (see Plates

5 and 6).

AUSTRALIAN

In the latter site ankylosis

may occur.

cation of severe deficiency disease in the bones. There is no evidence whatsoever of leprosy in the material most interesting

finding is that of a pathological

and postcranial

skeleton

not been convinced admittedly

of remains

endemic

ledge as “treponarid”. complicated by superadded

pyogenic

My findings

Tasmanian immunity

Probably

the

the skull (see Plate 7) River

region.

I have although

result from a form of treponemal

best labelled at our present state of knowthe changes are severe and may then be

infection

with formation

of sinuses and marked

reaction. confirm

observations

voted many years to a meticulous of bone.

was no indi-

in skeletons from Queensland,

These changes

syphilis, probably In some instances

There

examined.

process affecting from the Murray

that this change is significant

the sample here is smaller.

disease, perhaps

periosteal

especially

47

ABORIGINES

He has demonstrated aboriginal

skulls.

of the aborines

This immunity

made

earlier

worldwide

treponarid The

to venereal

by Dr Cecil J. Hackett

who has de-

survey of evidence

for treponemal

in one of the relatively

infrequent

presence

of treponarid

syphilis on preliminary

may

explain

contact

disease surviving

the apparent

with white settlers.

was later lost. References

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