A team of scientists from James Madison, Louisville, Colorado and Ohio universities analyzed over 1.6 thousand skeletons from London cemeteries from the Middle Ages. The results of this research show that bioarchaeological data can be used to create health indicators tailored to specific historical contexts.
“Biarchaeological research is extremely important because it helps us understand whether the patterns of disease and mortality we see today also occurred in the past. If not, we can find out why,” explains Dr. Samantha Yaussy, co-author of the study.
Health of women and men in the Middle Ages
One of the main conclusions of the study is that men’s and women’s health in medieval London differed from modern trends. Nowadays, women live longer, although they often struggle with more health problems. In the Middle Ages, however, there was such a relationship not observed. Scientists suggest that the reason may have been cultural factors, including: access to food.
For most of history women were marginalizedwhich affected their survival. This marginalization eliminated the biological advantages of women, making the risk of loss of life among both sexes comparable.
Only recently have women lived, on average, longer than men
Research shows that modern women live longer than men a relatively new phenomenon. Much better access to health care, education and food has allowed women to fully use their biological potential.
Dr. Yaussy emphasizes that these findings can help us understand how social and cultural factors influence health in different eras. It may also provide data that will guide us on how to address gender health disparities in the modern world, although definitely not in a medieval way.
Scientists have found that understanding the health of historical populations requires an individual approach that takes into account the unique environmental, cultural and social conditions of each era and region. For this reason, similar research is currently being carried out on skeletal samples from Milan. In Italy studies show how the health of residents has changed over time 2 thousand yearswhich gives an even broader view of the impact of civilization changes on human health.
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Source: geekweek.interia.pl
