Other Public Health Commons^™

A Coprological View Of Ancestral Pueblo Cannibalism, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

As the object of my scientific study, I’ve chosen coprolites. It’s not a common choice, but to a paleonutritionist and archaeoparasitologist, a coprolite—a sample of ancient feces preserved by mineralization or simple drying—is a scientific bonanza. Analysis of coprolites can shed light on both the nutrition of and parasites found in prehistoric cultures. Dietary reconstructions from the analysis of coprolites can inform us about, for example, the origins of modern Native American diabetes. With regard to parasitology; coprolites hold information about the ancient emergence and spread of human infectious disease. Most sensational, however, is the recent role of coprolite analysis …

Sl1 Rna Gene Recovery From Enterobius Vermicularis Ancient Dna In Pre-Columbian Human Coprolites, Alena M. Iñiguez, Karl Reinhard, Marcelo Luiz Carvalho Gonçalves, Luiz Fernando Ferreira, Adauto Araújo, Ana Carolina Paulo Vincente

Karl Reinhard Publications

Enterobius vermicularis, pinworm, is one of the most common helminths worldwide, infecting nearly a billion people at all socio-economic levels. In prehistoric populations the paleoparasitological findings show a pinworm homogeneous distribution among hunter-gatherers in North America, intensified with the advent of agriculture. This same increase also occurred in the transition from nomad hunter-gatherers to sedentary farmers in South America, although E. vermicularis infection encompasses only the ancient Andean peoples, with no record among the pre-Colombian populations in the South American lowlands. However, the outline of pinworm paleo epidemiology has been supported by microscopic finding of eggs recovered from coprolites. …

Bse: Risk, Uncertainty, And Policy Change, Enda Cummins, Pat Grace, Kevin Mcdonnell, Shane Ward

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

The authors discuss how, in our "risk society," a range of potential risks and uncertainties are associated with new technologies and new diseases, such as BSE. These risks bring with them worries about human health, while the ability to assess and manage new health scares is an essential skill for government and related industries.

Detection Of Giardia Duodenalis Antigen In Coprolites Using A Commercially Available Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Marcelo Luiz Carvalho Gonçalves, Adauto Araújo, Rosemere Duarte, Joaquim Pereira Da Silva, Karl Reinhard, Françoise Bouchet, Luis Fernando Ferreira

Karl Reinhard Publications

The objective of this experiment was to assess the utility of a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit for diagnosis of giardiasis in archaeological human remains. The kit, a monoclonal antibody assay, is used to detect the presence of Giardia-specific antigen 65 (GSA65) in human feces. We utilized the assay in ancient fecal material. The material included desiccated feces found in mummies or in archaeological sites, and sediments from latrines. A total of 83 specimens, previously examined microscopically for parasites, were examined. The ELISA detected 3 positive samples, dated to about 1200 AD, 1600 AD, and 1700 AD. …

Multidisciplinary Coprolite Analysis, Karl Reinhard, Dennis R. Danielson, Mark Daniels, Sérgio Augusto De Miranda Chaves

Karl Reinhard Publications

Coprolite analysis, as reviewed by Reinhard and Bryant (1992), contributes unique and detailed information regarding diet and parasitic disease. We present here an analysis of dietary components of coprolites from Bighorn Cave using macroscopic remains, pollen concentrations, and phytoliths. In addition, we analyzed Bighorn Cave coprolites for evidence of parasitic organisms, especially intestinal worms. Such analyses of coprolites have become important methods for reconstructing past dietary and medicinal practices. Pollen concentration and phytolith quantification techniques have recently been developed, but until this report no known attempt has been made to synthesize pollen, macroscopic, and phytolith data from a single coprolite …

Response To Critique Of The Claim Of Cannibalism At Cowboy Wash, Patricia M. Lambert, Banks L. Leonard, Brian R. Billman, Richard A. Marlar, Margaret E. Newman, Karl J. Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

The original authors of Billman et af. (2000) are joined by three other analysts from the Cowboy Wash research team to respond to the critique of this article by Dongoske et af. (2000). Dongoske and his coauthors state that Billman et af. (2000) failed to test alternative hypotheses or to consider alternative explanations for the findings at 5MTJOOJO and similar sites. The original authors point out that alternative hypotheses were examined and rejected, leaving a violent episode of cannibalism as the most plausible explanation for the remains found at 5MTJOOJO. Dongoske et af. also question many aspects of the osteological, …

Recognition Of Treponematoses In Post Repatriation X Ray And Cd Rom Nebraska Record, Karl J. Reinhard, Bruce Rothschild, Christine Rothschild, Larry Martin

Karl Reinhard Publications

Repatriation has compromised the opportunity to directly examine skeletons and to apply new diagnostic criteria and techniques. Pre-repatriation approaches to non-metric data acquisition, must make a number of assumptions: ( I ) Phenomena must be correctly identitied and segregated; (2) Criteria for severity must be specific to the phenomena studied; and (3) As criteria for disease rewgnition may change with time, it is valuable only as long as the raw data is also recorded. As part of data preservation, x-rays and CD-ROM images were recorded for skeletons trom Nebraska sites undergoing repatriation. This report concentrates on four of them 250K …

Paleopharmacology, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

An emerging field devoted to the exploration of the archaeological record for evidence of medicinal plants.

In the future, archaeology will have a role in pharmaceutical research. In the late twentieth century, much of the world’s pharmaceutical research has been based on ethnographic documentation of tribally recognized medicinal plants. Once the active chemical compounds in the plants are identified, they are either extracted or synthesized for commercial use. The American film Medicine Man depicts this approach. As shown in the film, such pharmacological research is threatened by declining tribal populations with loss of traditional herbal knowledge coupled with declining biodiversity. …

Archaeoparasitology, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

The field devoted to the identification of parasite remains in the archaeological record and the reconstruction of past human-parasite interactions. Parasitic disease has always been a major problem. Recent summaries of the prevalence of parasitic diseases in the world today show that there are 4.5 billion infections with all species of parasitic worm, 1 billion infections with giant intestinal roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides), 750,000,000 infections with whipworms (Trichuris trichiura), 900,000,000 infections with hookworm (Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus), 657,000,000 infections with filarial worms, 200,000,000 with blood flukes (schistosome species), and 489,000,000 infections with malaria. These infections cause between 1,590,000 to 3,130,000 …

The Role Of Mummy Studies In Paleoparasitology, Adauto Araujo, Karl J. Reinhard, Luiz Fernando Ferreira

Karl Reinhard Publications

Paieoparasitology has advance during the past decade to the status of a statistically based science focused on problems of disease ecology and geographic distribution of parasitism. For most of its development, paleoparasitology has focused on the analysis of coprolites and latrine sediments. During the past few years, mummies have been increasingly included in paleoparasitology studies. We evaluate in this paper the interpretive value of mummies relative to other sources of paleoparasitological data.

EI estudio de la paleoparasitologia ha logrado transformarse, en esta ultima decada, en una ciencia basada en la estadistica, enfocada a temas tales como la ecologia de enfermedades …

Coprolite Analysis: The Analysis Of Ancient Human Feces For Dietary Data, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

Although archaeological fieldwork is hot and dirty, the most “earthy” side of the discipline is the laboratory analysis of coprolites. Each coprolite contains the remains of one to several actual meals eaten in prehistory, and analysis of many coprolites provides a picture of ancient diet that is unique in accuracy.

The term coprolite originally referred to fossilized feces in paleontological context. In archaeology, the term broadened to refer to any formed fecal mass, including mineralized, desiccated, or frozen feces and even the intestinal contents of mummies. Coprolites contain the remains of animals (parasites) that lived in the humans, the foods …

Human Dental Microwear Caused By Calcium Oxalate Phytoliths In Prehistoric Diet Of The Lower Pecos Region, Texas, Dennis Danielson, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

Recent research demonstrates that silica phytoliths of dietary origin are associated with microwear of human teeth. Previous research has shown that severe enamel microwear and dental wear characterizes Archaic hunter-gatherers in the lower Pecos region of west Texas. Calcium oxalate crystals are especially common in Archaic coprolites. The vast majority are derived from prickly pear and agave, which were the dietary staples in west Texas for 6,000 years. The calcium oxalate phytoliths are harder than enamel. Therefore, calcium oxalate crystals are the most likely source of previously documented dental microwear and wear in the lower Pecos region.Am J Phys Anthropol …

Mummies And Mummification Practices In The Southern And Southwestern United States, Mahmoud Y. El-Najjar, Thomas M. J. Mulinski, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

Mummification was not intentional for most North American prehistoric cultures. Natural mummification occurred in the dry areas of North America, where mummies have been recovered from rock shelters, caves, and overhangs. In these places, corpses desiccated and spontaneously mummified. In North America, mummies are recovered from four main regions: the southern and southwestern United States, the Aleutian Islands, and the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. This chapter is limited to a discussion of burial practices and a tabulation of the location of mummies in the southwestern United States with some comments on mummies of the southern United States, including the Ozarks.

Analytical Perspectives On A Protohistoric Cache Of Ceramic Jars From The Lower Colorado Desert, James M. Bayman, Richard H. Hevly, Boma Johnson, Karl J. Reinhard, Richard Ryan

Karl Reinhard Publications

A cache of hermetically sealed ceramic jars found in the Lower Colorado Desert was examined using chronometric dating, pollen and macrofossil extraction, design analysis, and water retention experimentation. The cache apparently dates to the protohistoricfifteenth through seventeenth centuries. Findings from these studies contribute to knowledge in four problem areas: (1) ceramic jar function and use-history; (2) storage technology and caching behavior; (3) ceramic dating and chronology; and (4) symbolic iconography. Biotic remains from inside the jars document their use for transporting a variety of riverine and desert plants, before they were finally filled with flowers and seeds, and placed in …

Cluster Analysis Of The Coprolites From Antelope House: Implications For Anasazi Diet And Cuisine, Mark Q. Sutton, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

This paper reports on a cluster analysis of 155 coprolites from Antelope House, a prehistoric Anasazi site in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona. The analysis revealed three primary clusters; whole kernel maize, milled maize, and nonmaize, which we believe to represent seasonal- and preference-related cuisine. Protein residue analysis on a subsample of the specimens added depth to the analysis.

Otitis Media, Mastoiditis, And Infracranial Lesions In Two Plains Indian Children, Robert W. Mann, Douglas W. Owsley, Karl J. Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

One disease condition that is common to nearly all children is otitis media, also known as middle ear disease. Although most people speak of it as a middle ear "infection," other causes such as neoplasm (tumor) can result in manifestations and symptoms mimicking an infectious process. This paper presents findings related to osseous lesions in two Indian children, approximately three to five years of age, who died with otitis media and infracranial lesions. Through macroscopic and radiographic analysis, it is possible to show that one child probably suffered from tuberculosis and the other from histiocytosis X. From an epidemiological and …

Sanitation And Parasitism At Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, Karl J. Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

One focus of historical archaeology at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, West Virginia, is tracing the development of sanitation at the town through the 1800s and 1900s. Historical documentation indicates that there was a degree of resistance to the modernization of village sanitation. This study attempts to verify this resistance through examination of privy soils for parasites indicative of fecalborne disease, specifically the helminth species Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura. The presence of these parasites in the early 1900s would indicate that fecal-borne disease due to poor sanitation continued to be an aspect of town life. The analysis revealed the …

Trade, Contact, And Female Health In Northeast Nebraska, Karl Reinhard, Larry Tieszen, Karin L. Sandness, Lynae M. Beiningen, Elizabeth Miller, A. Mohammad Ghazi, Christiana E. Miewald, Sandra V. Barnum

Karl Reinhard Publications

Most scholars are understandably preoccupied with the impact of Europeans on native peoples who were passive, unwilling, or resistant participants in that contact. We present in this chapter a different case. The Missouri River tribes, including the Omaha and Ponca, willingly engaged in relations with Euramericans, especially in the fur trade that dominated interaction in this region. The time frame for this study is 1780- 1820, a period when interaction between individual traders and Native Americans was replaced by the dominance of the American Fur Company in organized exploitation of the Missouri River lands and peoples. This involvement later contributed …

Parasitology As An Interpretive Tool In Archaeology, Karl J. Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

Parasitological studies of archaeological sites can be used to interpret past behavior and living conditions. During the 1980s problem-oriented research into prehistoric- and historical-period parasitism developed and resulted in thefield of archaeoparasitology. Archaeoparasitology attempts to integrate parasite data into archaeological theory and interpretation. Within the last decade, four major archaeoparasitological laboratories emerged. They developed interpretive frameworks that apply parasitological data to a remarkable variety of prehistoric behaviors. Parasite remains can be used to reconstruct aspects of diet, health, and other behaviors such as transhumance and trade. Finally. analysis of the distribution of parasite remains can be used to interpret aspects …

Coprolite Analysis: A Biological Perspective On Archaeology, Karl J. Reinhard, Baughn M. Bryant Jr

Karl Reinhard Publications

The most remarkable dietary remains recoverable from archaeological contexts are coprolites. Coprolites are desiccated or mineralized feces that are preserved in sheltered and open sites in arid regions, primarily in the New World. These dietary remains are remarkable from several perspectives. They typically contain a variety of macroscopic and microscopic remains that form interrelated data sets for the reconstruction of diets. Because contexts containing coprolites are typified by excellent preservation, the remains coprolites contain tend to be in better states of preservation than dietary remains recovered from nonfecal deposits. Coprolites also contain the well-preserved remains of intestinal parasites and pathogens …

Dan Canyon Burial: A Piii Burial In Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Steve Dominguez, Karl Reinhard, Kari L. Sandness, Cherie A. Edwards, Dennis Danielson, F. A. Calabrese, Chris Kincaid

Karl Reinhard Publications

The Dan Canyon burial was discovered at a time when the philosophy, ethics, and legislation concerning the study of human remains are in a state of flux. A number of important sensitive issues germane to managers, archeologists, and American Indians are discussed in the introduction. The subsequent analysis provides a detailed scientific account of these remains and a glimpse of a segment of a people's past lifeway while remaining sensitive to the wishes of the American Indians.

The burial and associated grave goods of site 42SA21339 were exposed by wave action in a location frequented by boaters at the Glen …

Vertebral Pathology In Prehistoric And Historic Skeletons From Northeastern Nebraska, Karin L. Sandness, Karl J. Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

Vertebral pathology has long been a useful criterion for anthropologists in the assessment of activity patterns, stress, and general health of extinct peoples. This method of analysis, however, has never been applied to the peoples of the Nebraska Great Plains. This study is the first to concentrate on the indigenous Native Americans of this region, examining the spinal pathology present in the prehistoric and historic skeletal remains. Pathology present in the form of spondylolysis, Schmorl's nodes, osteophytosis (degenerative disc disease), and osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease), provides evidence to suggest differing activity patterns and levels of stress in Plains groups before …

Use Of Pollen Concentration In Paleopharmacology: Coprolite Evidence Of Medicinal Plants, Karl Reinhard, Donny L. Hamilton, Richard H. Hevly

Karl Reinhard Publications

Nearly 2,400 plant species have been documented ethnographically as having medicinal value among Native Americans. Therefore, it is not surprising that evidence of medicinal plants appears in some of the over 1,000 coprolites analyzed from the southwestern U.S. Three medicinal species identified in pollen analysis of coprolites are discussed. Willow (Salix) is the most common analgesic in the Native American pharmacopoeia. Prehistoric use of this plant is documented in coprolites from Bighorn Cave in the Black Mountains of Arizona and also in a burial from the Mimbres Valley, New Mexico. Historically, Mormon tea (Ephedra) served as …

Dietary And Parasitological Analysis Of Coprolites Recovered From Mummy 5, Ventana Cave, Arizona, Karl Reinhard, Richard H. Hevly

Karl Reinhard Publications

Four coprolites were excavated with Burial 5 at Ventana Cave. a partially mummified five-year-old child. Two coprolites were granular and dark in color and two were fibrous and light in color. The coprolites are remains of the child's intestinal contents and were submitted for dietary and parasitological analysis. No parasites were found. The fibrous coprolites proved to be remains of highly masticated mesquite pods (Prosopis). The granular coprolites consist of seeds of saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea). Pollen analysis reveals two dietary pollen types, both derived from cactus. No evidence of cultivated plants except for a trace amount of …

From The Gulf To The Rio Grande: Human Adaptation In Central, South, And Lower Pecos Texas, Thomas Hester, Stephen L. Black, D. Gentry Steele, Ben W. Olive, Anne A. Fox, Karl Reinhard, Leland C. Bement

Karl Reinhard Publications

The South Texas area, Region 3 of the Southwestern Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is synthesized from archeological and bioarcheological perspectives. Three distinct geographic units within Region 3 are treated in detail: Central Texas Plateau Prairie, South Texas Plains, and Lower Pecos Canyonlands. More than 11,000 years of human adaptation are chronicled for this area, stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Rio Grande along the border with northeastern Mexico. Particular attention is devoted to a consideration of the region's prehistoric record; significant problems and data gaps are outlined. For the first time, a compilation has been done …

A Mimbres Burial With Associated Colon Remains From The Nan Ranch Ruin, New Mexico, Harry J. Shafer, Marrianne Marek, Karl J. Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

The skeletal remains of an adult male associated with desiccated tissue and a coprolite were recovered from an apen-air midden deposit at the NAN Ranch Ruin (LA15049)) a large Mimbres site in Grant County) New Mexico. The find dates to about A.C. 1000-1100. Identifiable macroscopic elements in the caprolite consist offi nely fragmented corn and tiny seed fragments of an unknown plant. High amounts of willow (Salix) and mustard (Brassicaceae) pollen may indicate the ingestion of medicinal plants to combat a deteriorating health condition. The individual was approximately 35 -40 years old at the time of death and suffered from …

Bioarcheological Synthesis For "From The Gulf To The Rio Grande: Human Adaptation In Central, South, And Lower Pecos Texas", Karl Reinhard, Ben W. Olive, D. Gentry Steele

Karl Reinhard Publications

One of the main problems encountered in the review of the bioarcheology of Region 3 has been the limited number of sites where human skeletal material has been adequately recovered and analyzed. In the preceding chapter it was documented that less than 30% of the burials recovered from recorded sites have been reported in published literature. It was further estimated that of the 323 sites with burials, no more than 80 sites have published detailed bioarcheological reports on the burials recovered. Only 50 of these 80 reports provide individual descriptions of each burial which facilitate subsequent analyses and evaluation.

Four …

Helminth Remains From Prehistoric Indian Coprolites On The Colorado Plateau, Karl J. Reinhard, Richard H. Hevly, Glenn A. Anderson

Karl Reinhard Publications

Examination of coprolites excavated from archaeological sites in the Americas demonstrates excellent preservation of helminth eggs and, in some cases, larvae. To gain an understanding of helminth parasitism in prehistory on the Colorado Plateau of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, 319 coprolites from 5 archaeological sites were analyzed. Helminth eggs and larvae were recovered after the coprolites were rehydrated, screened, and sedimented. At a sixth site, soils excavated from 5 rooms used as latrine areas were processed with palynological techniques. The results indicate that all but 1 of the prehistoric populations examined were infected with intestinal worms. The helminths implicated …

The Multi-Individual Cremation Phenomenon Of The Santa Cruz Drainage, Karl J. Reinhard, T Michael Fink

Karl Reinhard Publications

Multi-individual cremation deposits found in the upper Santa Cruz River drainage were previously interpreted as the result of hypothesized cultural contact in the area. A review of 50 cremation deposits for which detailed analyses are available indicates that mulii-individual cremation deposits are the result of incomplete gleaning practices and have doubtful cultural significance. Hypotheses are generated from the present data which account for the apparent variation in cremation practices within the study area.

Prehistoric Cremations From Nogales, Arizona *, Karl J. Reinhard, Jeff H. Shipman

Karl Reinhard Publications

In October, 1969, the Highway Salvage Section of the Arizona State Museum conducted emergency salvage excavations in conjunction with the construction of the Tucson-Nogales Highway. Ten cremations were recovered from a backhoe trench which had been placed within the city limits of Nogales, Arizona. Analysis of the cremations indicated cultural contact between the Trincheras culture of Sonora, Mexico, and the Hohokam culture of the Santa Cruz River Valley in southern Arizona.