![]() ![]() Phossy jaw is the necrosis of the jaw by phosphorus- whereby the bone of the jaw is not given proper blood flow or nutrients, and essentially dies and collapses. What do all of these have in common? The problem is named after the occupation!Īrchival drawing from 19th c of phossy jaw by Mutter, via Gizmodo Chimney sweeps’ carcinoma- chimney sweeps developed cancer in their scrotums due to the irritation caused by soot.Coal miner’s pneumoconiosis or black lung- individuals who work in coal mines and suffer from poor breathing conditions.Radium jaw- young women who contracted radiation poisoning due to painting radium on watches to allow them to glow.While these two are minor alterations to the skeleton, there are more destructive and problematic issues that can occur with certain jobs. These cases ( both of which are from the Smithsonian) are fascinating because they give us insight into the occupations or activities of the deceased- something we usually don’t have much information about. Due to repeated minor bruising and trauma to the upper leg, the bone reacts and begins to grow abnormally. This is seen in the skeleton as new bone growth on the anterior (front) of the femur. An individual who is making a shoe will place the materials against their leg to provide support when nailing the heel into the leather of the shoe’s body. Another interesting historic case is known as Shoemaker’s Femur. Over time, the teeth are actually worn down in these areas, and small pin or needle sized notches are formed. Tailors and seamstresses usually put their needles or pins between their teeth in order to hold them while they are cutting or moving fabric. The notches are due to holding sewing needles between the teeth. These are small indentations found in the front teeth of an individual. One historic example is called Tailor’s Notches. There are a range of diseases, traumas and skeletal markers that can occur regularly with certain types of occupations. Pipe Notch- similar to the Tailor’s notch though the latter would be much smaller, from Smithsonian Museum of Natural History ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |