An evaluation of the significance of 'scars of parturition' in the Christ Church Spitalfields sample
The relationship between the preauricular sulcus and pitting on the dorsal aspect of the pubic corpus in association with pregnancy and parturition has aroused considerable interest since the early 1970's. The major limitation of much of the discussion is that it has been based on data derived from skeletal samples with either unknown or uncertain obstetric histories. The excavation of the crypts beneath Christ Church, Spitalfields between 1984 and 1986 produced 968 skeletons, 387 of which were recovered in association with securely associated, legible coffin plates. Of the 138 adult females in this sample the parity status of 94 has been reconstructed from historical documentation. Such obstetric factors as parity status, number of births, age at first and last births and birth spacing have been examined in relation to the presence or absence of the preauricular sulcus, its type and size, pubic pitting, sacral scarring and the extension of the pubic tubercle. The results suggest that the preauricular sulcus and sacral scarring are independent of obstetric events and that although the small numbers of females with more than one pubic pit or an extended pubic tubercle had born children, the absence of these
Cox, Margaret J.
Skeletons; Pelvimetry; Pregnancy
An evaluation of the significance of 'scars of parturition' in the Christ Church Spitalfields sample. The relationship between the preauricular sulcus and pitting on the dorsal aspect of the pubic corpus in association with pregnancy and parturition has aroused considerable interest since the early 1970's. The major limitation of much of the discussion is that it has been based on data derived from skeletal samples with either unknown or uncertain obstetric histories. The excavation of the crypts beneath Christ Church, Spitalfields between 1984 and 1986 produced 968 skeletons, 387 of which were recovered in association with securely associated, legible coffin plates. Of the 138 adult females in this sample the parity status of 94 has been reconstructed from historical documentation. Such obstetric factors as parity status, number of births, age at first and last births and birth spacing have been examined in relation to the presence or absence of the preauricular sulcus, its type and size, pubic pitting, sacral scarring and the extension of the pubic tubercle. The results suggest that the preauricular sulcus and sacral scarring are independent of obstetric events and that although the small numbers of females with more than one pubic pit or an extended pubic tubercle had born children, the absence of these
evaluation significance christ church sample relationship pit aspect corpus association pregnancy arouse considerable_interest since major limitation much_discussion base data_derive skeletal sample either unknown uncertain history excavation crypt beneath christ_church produce skeleton recover association securely associate coffin plate adult female sample status reconstruct historical documentation factor status number birth age first_last birth space examine_relation presence_absence type size sacral extension suggest sacral independent event although small_number females pit extend bear child absence