Congenital anomalies in an individual from central Argentina (late Holocene)

SALEGA, SOLEDAD; RUBIOLO BUZZINI, MARIANA; GUARINO, ABRIL; ASTETI, LUCAS

Leiden

Congreso; 24th Paleopathology Association European Meeting; 2024

In the study of ancient populations, congenital disorders can be used as indicators of population dynamics and cultural practices, such as inbreeding. However, they are rarely reported in the bioarchaeological literature. Thus, the aim of this work is to present the case of a male, middle adult individual from Los Mates –a late Holocene site in Córdoba province, Argentina– that shows two elongated apertures in the subscapular fossa of the left scapula, as well as a bifurcated neural arch in a lumbar vertebra. The individual has an 80% of skeletal preservation, and the observed lesions were recorded macroscopically. After a differential diagnosis, both conditions were related to a congenital origin, more specifically to a developmental delay that results in an incomplete ossification. Paleopathological analysis also reported the presence of lamellar bone and an osteolytic process in the right ulna, which suggest an infectious process. All paleopathological indicators were analysed in an integrated, osteobiographical approach in order to evaluate the consequences of those anomalies in the daily life of the individual. Specifically, the congenital anomalies might not have involved severe consequences in the general lifestyle. These results were also related to previous local research that mainly identified congenital disorders in the axial skeleton (cranium and vertebral column). Finally, they were contrasted with data from genetic studies that suggest a high gene flow, which in turn seems to contradict the hypothesis of isolation or inbreeding stated by several authors when explaining the presence of this kind of bone anomalies.