THE HISTOLOGY OF HUMAN DRY BONE (A REVIEW)

Abstract

Despite archaeological preservation conditions, the histomorphology of human dry bone still contains useful information on the physiological and pathological status of deceased individuals. Histology can therefore be a helpful addition to routine archaeological methods. But practice has shown  that, for many archaeologists, unfamiliarity with this technique shaped a pointless obstacle to add it to their tool box.

Thus, after having addressed the restrictions associated with histological analysis in general, we will show  that the preparation  of sections/slides  does not need to be diff icult, expensive or time-consuming.  Then  we  will  provide  an introduction  to the histological  application  of assessing age at death of the deceased.  It’s must be its theoretical basis, its value in comparison  to other  methods  and  its limits  are  discussed.

Finally, we will elaborate on the effectiveness of histology as an indicator of pathological processes, and explain that only a small number of disorders have distinct ‘pathognonomic’ microscopic features. In  all other cases, the histological findings must be combined with gross anatomical and radiological findings from the same individual to come to a conclusive diagnosis  or to a shortened  list  of differential  (alternative)  diagnoses.