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Review
. 2011 Sep;459(3):247-54.
doi: 10.1007/s00428-011-1122-x. Epub 2011 Jul 21.

What skeletons tell us. The story of human paleopathology

Donald J Ortner  1
Affiliations
Review

What skeletons tell us. The story of human paleopathology

Donald J Ortner. Virchows Arch. 2011 Sep.

Abstract

Human skeletal paleopathology provides important insight regarding the antiquity of some diseases and their distribution in past human groups. The history of human skeletal paleopathology extends back more than 150 years. Rudolf Virchow published reports on the subject, and research on paleopathology has provided critical data on important topics such as the origin of syphilis. With the development of powerful new research tools, human paleopathology will continue to be a source of data on the development of disease and its effect on human biological and cultural development.

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