Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
scholar abroad, adapter plugs or converters may dictate whether cords or power strips
should be purchased in the country where the research is conducted.
The amount or variety of drawing/sketching tools included in the kit will depend on
whether pathological information will be immediately entered into a computer database
or first drawn on score sheets. The use of a computer database implies that the scoring proto-
cols and the severity scales have already been established. However, with ever-changing
repatriation laws, consider the possibility that the current project may become the only
record for the sample. If that may indeed be the case, a nonsubjective, project-independent
visual record may be preferred. This might simply consist of standard size sheets of paper
with two-dimensional outline drawings of the bones printed on it.
Buikstra and Ubelaker
(1994)
as well as Internet sources
10
have ready-made score sheets of the whole skeleton as
well as larger versions of the individual bones. If other aspects are needed, personal score
sheets can be cobbled by downloading copyright-free images
11
from the web and resizing
or organizing them with an image editing computer program.
Initial Data Collection
Be sure to inventory all skeletons for completeness. To determine the frequency of a path-
ological condition, note that the total sample is not the total number of individuals available;
rather, it is the number of individuals that preserve enough of the body elements necessary to
determine the presence or absence of the pathology being assessed. For example, nasal bones
are fragile and often display extensive postmortem damage. The nasal margin is also subject
to reactive change due to (for example) chronic treponemal disease infection (i.e., goundou).
In an assessment of pre-Columbian treponemal disease that included determining the pres-
ence and prevalence of reactive bone at the nasal margin (
Smith, 2006
), this author created
a score sheet with several rows and columns of the mid-face (adapted from
Buikstra and Ube-
laker, 1994
:203). The preserved nasal margins were simply outlined on the drawing in pencil.
The inventory was quickly accomplished and sample size was later determined by sepa-
rating out the cases with nasal margins deemed too incomplete for presence/absence catego-
rization. The benefit of such a technique is that it enables the inventory to be undertaken by
others but keeps the determination of inclusion or exclusion under the control of the
researcher.
Before recording any pathology, certainly shade or cross-hatch on the data sheet the parts
of the skeleton or bone that are missing. This need not be precise, just enough to answer basic
questions about skeletal or bone completeness. Use another color or medium (e.g., colored
pencil, highlighter pen) to draw where the bone exhibits reactive change(s). If the pathology
is complex (e.g., periostitis and trauma), consider assigning a color to each pathological
condition. Remember, clarity is important if this is to become archived information.
If the permanent storage of a paper record is impractical or problematic, scan the sheets. If
a totally paperless route is preferred, consider using scanned images in a computer or
11
For example, for public domain text see Gray, Henry. Anatomy of the Human Body. Philadelphia: Lea &
Febiger, 1918;
Bartleby.com
,
2000,
www.bartleby.com/107/
.
