Preliminary Observations of Some Paleopathological Conditions in Historic and Modern Human Skeletal Remains from Ishigaki Island, Ryukyu Islands, Japan

This study investigates some aspects of skeletal and dental paleo-pathology, including cribra orbitalia, dental enamel hypoplasia, trauma, osteoarthritis, periostitis and osteomyelitis. The sample consists of the skeletal remains of 33 individuals from the medieval and early modern periods, found on Ishigaki Island, Ryukyu Islands, Japan. High frequencies of cribra orbitalia and enamel hypoplasias suggest that the Ishigaki people may have experienced many severe nutritional deficiency stresses, infectious diseases, and/or parasitism during early childhood. This study further reports a markedly high frequency of periostitis and two cases of osteomyelitis in bones of the lower leg, probably the result of a specific infection, such as treponematosis.