Silvester, CM;
(2021)
Feeding the sick: An insight into dietary composition at a Medieval leper hospital using dental wear pattern analysis.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
, 38
, Article 103054. 10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.103054.
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Abstract
In the Middle Ages, palliative dietary regimens were fundamental to the treatment of disease. It was believed that the foods eaten were central to bringing balance to the human body. Alleviating the symptoms of leprosy required the consumption of foods considered moist and mild, which included certain kinds of meat. Medieval lepers were housed and treated in leprosaria (leper hospitals), often located on the outskirts of towns and cities. The quality of the food consumed at each institution, however, varied considerably according to its financial situation. The extent to which the diet of lepers corresponded to that advised by Medieval physicians, therefore, remains largely uncertain. Here, a method of 3D dental wear pattern analysis, called Occlusal Fingerprint Analysis, is used to infer the dietary composition of individuals interred at the cemetery associated with the medieval leprosarium and later almshouse of St James and St Mary Magdalene, Chichester (n = 24). It was found that the dental wear pattern of individuals with osseous changes consistent with lepromatous leprosy showed an enlargement of buccal phase I wear when compared to the rest of the cemetery and a comparative group interred at St Michael’s Litten lay cemetery, Chichester (n = 17). Differences in dental wear patterns suggest that the lepers at this cemetery had regular access to meat beyond the quantities consumed by the majority of the lower social strata of Medieval society and more consistent with the palliative care recommended by Medieval medical theory.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Feeding the sick: An insight into dietary composition at a Medieval leper hospital using dental wear pattern analysis |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.103054 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.103054 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Leprosy, diet, dental wear, medieval, wear facets |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of Archaeology UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of Archaeology > Institute of Archaeology Gordon Square |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10131461 |
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