Metadata and paleopathology in Austral Patagonia

D'ANGELO DEL CAMPO, M; GARCIA LABORDE PAMELA; VALENZUELA, L; MOTTI. J.M.; GUICHON R.A.

Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires

Congreso; VI PALEOPATHOLOGY ASSOCIATION MEETING IN SOUTH AMERICA; 2015

A central element in paleopathology, as in medicine, is the differential diagnosis. Beyond the skills of the person that is in charge of the diagnosis, greater information about the subject that is being study would allow a better diagnosis. Therefore, this information known as metadata results of great value during a paleopathological analysis. The metadata can be split into two levels: first, those associated directly the study sample, i.e., information related to the type of sample, to context to the remains and the current location of the remains. The second level is inherent to the analyses being performed: genetics, histological, stable isotopes, etc. At this second level the metadata are the techniques and procedures used, the bones utilized for the analysis, the laboratories where analysis was conducted and the identifi cation number. To gain knowledge of the treatment that metadata had in paleopathology in the Patagonia Austral region we surveyed 67 publications from 1976 to current times in journals, conferences, books and doctoral thesis. The results show that the metadata have not been appropriately considered, particularly noting the cases where there is no indication of which individual was studied or those publications that do not indicate the current location of the samples.