Yorke-Edwards, Victoria;
(2020)
Obesity in London 1700-1850: the evidence.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
This study explores the potential of macroscopic osteoarchaeological techniques to reveal the presence of obesity in 282 skeletons drawn from 1700-1850 London. Obesity-related pathology (diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis and distal-interphalangeal, knee and hip osteoarthritis) and bone geometry (femoral cross-sectional measurements and 1st lumbar vertebral area) are compared in assemblages of high and low status, with the hypothesis that those of high status were more likely to have had an obesogenic lifestyle than their lower status counterparts. It explores the reasons for studying the osteoarchaeology of obesity in skeletons, briefly investigating the extent of obesity in this historical and geographical context and its link with status. The study provides a history of obesity during the period, looking at the language used to describe it, how the medical profession understood it, and how the obese were viewed by wider society. Thereafter follows a literature review of the osteology of obesity, including examination of the clinical and archaeological research on body mass indicators. The thesis then describes the methodology employed in the study, along with detailed study questions and hypotheses. The four sites from which the skeletons were selected are then discussed and the historical context of life and burial in London given. There is an extensive presentation and discussion of the study’s results, including methods used to calculate prevalence and diagnostic criteria. The study found that DISH and femoral cross-sectional measurements show promise as obesity indicators, producing results consistent with those of higher status having a greater prevalence of obesity, although osteoarthritis and 1st lumbar vertebral area failed to indicate that those of higher status had a higher prevalence of obesity. In conclusion, recommendations are made regarding the calculation of prevalence, diagnostic criteria for DISH, and the need for larger sample sizes supported by large multi-site databases.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Obesity in London 1700-1850: the evidence |
| Event: | UCL (University College London) |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2020. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| Keywords: | Human Bioarchaeology, Bone Geometry, Archaeology, Palaeopathology, Obesity, London, Eighteenth Century, Nineteenth Century |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Inst of Clinical Trials and Methodology UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Inst of Clinical Trials and Methodology > MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10092119 |
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