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Updated: Jul 27, 2026
Dissection, MicroCT Scanning and Morphometric Analyses of the Baculum
Published on: March 19, 2017
A pathological Neandertal thumb phalanx from Moula-Guercy (France)
Silvana Condemi1, Michel Panuel1, Kathia Chaumoitre1
1UMR 7268 ADES, Aix-Marseille Université/EFS/CNRS, Faculté de Médecine - La Timone, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France.
Objective:
To discuss a Neandertal pathological adult first pollical proximal phalanx (I2-104) from the Baume de Moula-Guercy (Ardèche, France) and evaluate the possible causes of this pathology.
Methods:
Macroscopic analyses of external features, as well as CT imaging, were used in the analysis RESULTS: The presence of asymmetric eburnation on the distal epiphysis associated with an osteophyte on the palmar surface, as well as the absence of periosteal bone reaction visible on CT images, is consistent with osteoarthritis.
Conclusion:
Osteoarthritis (OA) can have different origins and the cause is difficult to identify. The pathology of the Moula-Guercy I2-104 phalanx may be due to a genetic predisposition for OA known in Neandertals and associated with short limb bones. The OA could have been aggravated by the age of this individual and by an inflammatory reaction caused by repeated movements and intense vibrations provoked by high-frequency knapping or by other use of the hands SIGNIFICANCE: The I2-104 phalanx is the first Neandertal pollical phalanx known to display OA, although joints of this bone are frequently affected by this pathology in modern humans. Thus, greater insight into the presence and consequences of Neandertal behaviors is offered LIMITATION: It is impossible to give a definitive conclusion on the cause(s) of the OA in this case.
Suggestions For Further Research:
More data is needed concerning OA within Neandertals and its relationship with behavior and genetics.
