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A possible case of paralysis in early modern Vilnius and the implications for social care
Justina Kozakaitė1, Martynas Jakulis2, Rūta Brindzaitė1
1Department of Anatomy, Histology, and Anthropology, Vilnius University, M.K. Čiurlionio 21, Vilnius, 03101, Lithuania.
Objective:
To present a case of possible paralysis from early modern Vilnius and to discuss the potential level of care that was provided in the society of that time.
Materials:
A partially disturbed skeleton of a young female from a 16th-17th century Orthodox Christian cemetery.
Methods:
Macroscopic, osteometric and X-ray examinations coupled with a literature review aimed at providing a differential diagnosis.
Results:
The skeletal remains showed signs of disuse atrophy most probably due to a neurological disorder acquired in the woman's late teens. Differentials suggest that the observed limb atrophy was most likely a consequence of poliomyelitis.
Conclusions:
The case of a young female with paralysis presented in this paper could serve as an example of care provided by her household.
Significance:
This study substantially contributes to further understanding of the nature and quality of care provided to disabled individuals in their households even in the absence of written sources.
Limitations:
There is a degree of diagnostic ambiguity due to the application of routine clinical criteria to paleopathological cases.
Suggestions For Further Research:
The article makes several recommendations for future research, e.g., systematic investigation of possible cases of bone atrophy in a broader sociocultural context, as well as searching for evidence of gastrointestinal infections, especially poliomyelitis, supplemented by the application of biomolecular technologies.
