The skeleton of a woman with a rare osteogenesis sparks the interest of scientists in Portugal | archeology

It dates back to the fourteenth and nineteenth centuries AD, and researchers have discovered the skeleton of a woman from the village of Constance in Portugal, with evidence of rare bone growth. Not only is the condition strange, but it can also be extremely painful. The condition is described in a study published by two researchers in the March issue of the journal International Journal of Paleopathology.

The anomaly, which protruded from the femur, consisted of a huge eight-centimeter mass. The woman was over 50 years old when she had a severe and mysterious case of shock.

According to the study’s lead author, Sandra Assis, of the University of Coimbra, and co-author, archaeologist Joanna Garcia, the knot severely impeded the movement of women. The lesion grows where the muscle meets the inner thigh bone and pubic bone.

According to the authors, the shape of the lesion is consistent with a possible case of traumatic osteoarthritis. This occurs with blunt trauma to the pectoralis muscle in the anterior thigh space.

What could have happened is a random accident or injury related to the woman’s occupation, but the cause of the trauma itself is unknown, according to the researchers. It is possible that the bone anomaly greatly disrupted the victim’s life. “I have never seen such a large bone formation,” Assis said. Science lives by email. “I was really intrigued by its morphology.”

The woman’s skeleton was discovered along with 151 other skeletons, between 2002 and 2003, in Praça Alexandre Herculano, formerly occupied by the cemetery of the São Julio Church. Among the dead were 106 adults and 45 children.

The remains of the adult woman, who was 1.54 meters tall, were incomplete and missing her left femur, but were well preserved. Archaeologists found her on her back, with her hands relaxed on her pelvis, a coin on her left forearm, and her head tilted to the right.

While cleaning up the skeleton in the lab, researchers discovered a strange piece of bone protruding from the deceased, according to Assis. It is suspected that she suffered from trauma that caused the unusual shape of the bones from six weeks to a year before her death.

Researcher Matta said: “The appearance of the femur suggests an old operation.” Science lives. “We don’t have a medical history for this woman, but given similar clinical cases, we can assume that this thigh injury was very debilitating.”