Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026

Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology
Published on: August 22, 2022
[Osteoarticular paleopathology in a Chinchorro body: report of one case]
Verónica Silva-Pinto1, Daniela Valenzuela, Marcela Sepúlveda
1Departamento de Antropología, Universidad de Tarapacá, Chile.
Abstract:
We report a severe osteo-arthropathy in a body of a Chinchorro adult mole exhumed from the pre-Hispanic site of Playa Miller 8, located in the city of Arica, on the northern coast of Chile. The advanced state of joint disease shows that the individual was cared by his social group, to be able to survive. This care was perpetuated in the postmortem treatment, applying red color to the body. Particular self-care social dynamics of Chinchorro society are inferred.
Related Concept Videos
Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age
Initially, the limb buds consist of a core of mesenchyme covered by a layer of ectoderm. The ectoderm at the end of the limb bud thickens to form a narrow crest called the apical ectodermal ridge. This ridge stimulates the underlying...
Bone Disorders
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
Bone Remodeling
Osteoclasts in Bone Remodeling
