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A Classification System of Osteomyelitis for Historic Skeletal Remains: An Assessment of Civil War Soldier Amputees

Wehri, Elizabeth G.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1243015132

Abstract Details

2009, MA, University of Cincinnati, Arts and Sciences : Anthropology.
Osteomyelitis is a pus-producing infection caused by the presence of bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, that specifically affects the endosteal surface of bone. Although this disease can be found in prehistoric and historic populations, one ubiquitous system for descriptive classification has not been developed for use on skeletal remains. This research utilizes the long bones from Civil War soldier amputees with evidence of osteomyelitis, housed at the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Washington D.C., to develop a classification method for use on skeletal collections to assess the characteristics of osteomyelitis. In total, 77 long bone specimens (including humeri, radii, ulnae, femora, tibiae and fibulae) were examined. Three categories, Etiology, Severity and Duration, were used to both classify and describe the osteomyelitis presented in each case. The first category, Etiology, describes the origin of the infection by determining whether the osteomyelitis is “Exogenous” or “Hematogenous”. The second category, Severity, is divided into “Minor”, “Moderate,” and “Severe” Hyperostosis. The final descriptive category, Duration, determines whether the infection is “Acute” or “Chronic” based upon information gathered from medical records. The Wehri classification system of osteomyelitis can be readily applied to collections of skeletal remains, unlike most other methods of classifying osteomyelitis, because it provides specific morphological traits for each category, thereby removing the vague nature of other systems.
Alan Sullivan (Committee Chair)
Anthony Perzigian (Committee Member)
MariaTeresa Tersigni-Tarrant (Committee Member)
72 p.
American History; Archaeology; Armed Forces; Biology; Forensic Osteology; Pathology
Osteomyelitis; Civil War; Paleopathology; Osteology

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Wehri, E. G. (2009). A Classification System of Osteomyelitis for Historic Skeletal Remains: An Assessment of Civil War Soldier Amputees [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1243015132

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Wehri, Elizabeth. A Classification System of Osteomyelitis for Historic Skeletal Remains: An Assessment of Civil War Soldier Amputees. 2009. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1243015132.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Wehri, Elizabeth. "A Classification System of Osteomyelitis for Historic Skeletal Remains: An Assessment of Civil War Soldier Amputees." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1243015132

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1243015132
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© 2009, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.