Tuberkulos i medeltida Lund

Tuberculosis is one of the oldest diseases known to man. Today one third of the world’s population is infected and every year 2 million people die because of it. This essay is focused on tuberculosis in Medieval Lund, specifically from Saint Jacobs cemetery. Is it possible to find tuberculosis by studying the skeletal remains? If the disease is found, what period does the individual come from and how extensive are the injuries? To get the most accurate result the spinal column was the primary source of information, a collapse in the anterior part of the vertebral body was used as a strong indication of tuberculosis. Secondly the lower limbs where analyses after signs of erosive changes similar to periosteal inflammation on the epiphysis. Regarding age the analysis focused on whether the individual was juvenile or adult, any more specific aging did not add to the purpose. Sex was sectioned into hypermasculine, masculine, indeterminate, feminine, hyperfeminine and juvenile, based on Buikstra and Ubelaker (White, Black & Folkens 2012, s. 410f). One individual (299) has been diagnosed to tuberculosis and one (286) has tuberculosis as a possible diagnose. Individual 299 has a severe vertebral collapse in T11-12 with extensive remodelling. The individual was an older female with signs of periosteal inflammation on the lower limbs and in acetabulum. According to the rapport the grave is from 1100-1200 a.d. and “unknown”, most likely because the upper body is missing. Individual 286 has a palaeopathological change to nine vertebrates, the change would be an active tuberculosis or Scheuerman´s disease. In accordance with Scheurman´s disease the individual is a young man, dated to 1200-1560 a.d. by the placement of the arms. The frequency of tuberculosis in Saint Jacobs cemetery is high compared to most medieval materials, this could mean that the people of Lund where strong and healthy enough to fight the disease