Patterns Of Pathology In Eskimos And Aleuts

The study of prehistoric and protohistoric populations from the standpoint of pathology may provide information on disease origin and process, and on the relationship of disease to culture. A pathological condition is here considered to be that which tends to place the affected tissue and individual at a survival disadvantage in regard to his culture and environment. This report brings together the work of Hrdlicka and Stewart on Alaskan Eskimos, and that of Jorgensen on Greenlandic Eskimos, with current studies of 100 entire skeletons from the Aleutian Islands, Kodiak Island and the Canadian Arctic. The results will then be compared with historical records and recent clinical studies which illustrate the effects of initial contact, hybridization and acculturation, and of possible mode of inheritance. Eskimos and Aleuts may be characterized as having a high frequency of skeletal anomalies, particularly of the spine (spondylolysis, lower thoracic spina bifida, etc.) and little evidence of trauma except for compression fractures of the vertebral bodies and dental ablation. Osteomyelitis is rare and Pott's disease is unknown from the prehistoric period. Dental caries are virtually absent, although tooth wear and abscessing are common. Arthritis signs are concentrated primarily in the elbow and spinal joints with marked sexual dimorphism as far as the elbow is concerned.