Caring for the injured: Exploring the immediate and long-term consequences of injury in medieval Cambridge, England

Objective

To combine paleopathological and biomechanical analysis to reconstruct the impact that a severe skeletal injury had on an individual’s ability to function and participate in medieval society.

Materials

Three medieval individuals from Cambridge, England with ante-mortem fractures to the lower limb were analyzed.

Methods

Plain X-rays were used to determine the degree of malunion, rotation and overlap of each fracture. Cortical bone architecture of the injured individuals and 28 uninjured controls were analyzed using micro-computed tomography (µCT). Clinical and functional consequences were examined using the Bioarcheology of Care framework.

Results

The mechanism of injury, the secondary complications, and the extent of the care received was reconstructed for each individual. Bilateral asymmetry in the cortical bone architecture revealed the long-term alterations to each individual’s gait.

Conclusion

Each of these individuals survived a severe injury resulting in chronic physical impairment, though not all would have been considered ‘disabled’.

Significance

This research contributes to the discussion about medieval care provision and social constructions of disability by illustrating how an interdisciplinary approach provides insight into the experiences of those with physical impairments. The integration of µCT imaging within the Bioarcheology of Care model is a novel approach with great potential for application across the field.

Limitations

Biomechanical analysis was restricted to cortical geometry.

Suggestions for future research

Further study of bilateral asymmetry in trabecular architecture could complement our understanding of altered loading modalities in past societies.