| Fenno F.J.M. Noij |
DETECTING SOCIAL CHANGE
AN EXAMINATION OF THE ROLE OF THE INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION ON OSTEOPOROSIS IN LONDON,
UNITED KINGDOM
Vivian S. van Heekeren
Leiden University
Abstract
The period of the Industrial Revolution brought major changes in nutrition, lifestyle, and living conditions
in London. These changes are conducive to the development of osteoporosis in the population. Osteopo-
rosis is a metabolic bone disease, which is characterised by increased bone porosity, and may result in
most prevalent diseases in the modern world, however archaeological sources remain mainly silent on the
subject.
Data from London provided by the Museum of Archaeology London (MOLA) is compared to observe
whether there is a change in prevalence of osteoporosis between the Medieval and post-Medieval period.
This research shows that if advanced techniques, such as radiography, are incorporated within the osteo-
logical analysis more osteoporosis cases are found within the archaeological record. Structural incorpora-
tion of modern techniques will provide new insights in past populations.
Keywords
Paleopathology, Metabolic bone disease, Medieval period, Post-Medieval period, Osteoarchaeology
Email: [email protected]
Academia: https://york.academia.edu/VivianvanHeekeren
LinkedIn: https://nl.linkedin.com/in/vivian-van-heekeren-b355788a
I
ntroduction
According to the World Health Organisation,
osteoporosis is one of the most prevalent chronic
diseases in the modern Western World (Kanis 2007,
6). For instance, in the United Kingdom (UK) 53.2%
of women and 20.7% of men aged 50 years and over
will have an osteoporotic fracture in their remaining
lifetime (van Staa et al. 2001, 519-520). Since it
is such a prevalent disease today, it is remarkable
that documentary sources on archaeological human
remains remain generally silent about osteoporosis
in the past (Mays 2010, 206).
Osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder characterised by
increased porosity of bone. In elderly females, it is
p. 28 | VOL III | INTER-SECTION | 2017
especially associated with the menopause and the
drop in oestrogen levels. This results in an increase
in bone remodelling and bone resorption (Brickley
and Ives 2008, 153). The balance between bone
resorption and formation is thus disturbed and results
are more fragile and prone to fracture (White et al.
2011, 447). There are different types of osteoporosis
and it can be caused by multiple factors. Although
the development of osteoporosis is known to be age
genetics, ethnicity, physical activity, calcium intake,
intake (Agarwal 2008, 391; Karlsson et al. 2006,
620-624). The known relationship between these