Dr. I. Pap szerk.: Studia historico-anthropologica (Anthropologia Hungarica 22. Budapest, 1992)

communication). On April, 1988, during a survey of the spot, the remains of a grave demolished by the mining activity appeared in situ in the sand wall from about 150 centimetres below the surface. After being unearthed, the broken, shrunk cranium viscerale cerebrale, and a significant part of the adjoining vertebrae cervicales (vert. c. I-VI), as well as the os hyoideum were transported together. The relatively high number of sporadic finds, and the amount of sand having been already removed with the bones in it did not allow the identification of other bones belonging to the grave. Vertebra was examined macroscopically and by X-ray with Medicor GT-2 X-ray apparatus. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Post-mortem fractures, suturolytic fractures were found on the cranium cerebrale. The composing bones are fragmentary, strongly warped. No warping in the facial region, but post-mortem fracture in the maxilla were detected. The posterior arc sections and processi of the vertebrae cervicales (I-VI) are anatomically missing. Joint surfaces testify to a forced position of the 1st, 2nd and the 3rd vertebrae (Fig. 1). The deformation of the joining surfaces of the dens axis and atlas show the wear of cartilage and the turning of the bones on each other. X-ray photo shows sclerosis in the lateral sections of the vertebrae (Fig. 2). Minor post-mortem fractures of the vertebrae, on the endings of arc-sections decerepitating post-mortem lesions were found. Os hyoideum is intact. Examinable features for sexing tend to be masculine. The synchondrosis sphenooccipitalis is ossified. On the basis of examinable sutures and denture the age is estimated about 25. Accompanying pathological alterations: Number of the teeth examined: 29 Missing ante-mortem: 1 Missing post-mortem: 2 Caries: 2 Alveolar atrophy. Porotic hyperostosis of the orbit stad. I.

1 Occult spina bifida means that no form protrudes through the bone defect, and the area is covered by regular structure skin tissue. Spina bifida cystica means that the lesion protrudes and results in a sack-like formation (Lorber & Salfield 1981). When the protruding formations are not covered by skin (or membrane) the rachischisis is called open. According to most authors, the rate of incidence of spina bifida (rachischisis) among people is between 22-24% (Gömör & Bálint 1989). The anomaly, in 85% of the cases, affects the lumbo-sacral sections of the spine (Horányi 1961), caused by the fact that during the intrauterine development the closure of the spinal cord and spinal canal proceeds downwards. Cleft cervical vertebrae are found in about 10% of the cases. Narrow clefts in the arc affecting one or two vertebrae are found in the finds of almost every cemetery (Farkas, Marcsik & Vékony 1976, Kőhegyi & Marcsik 1976, Marcsik 1983), having no clinical significance (Csákány & Forrai 1984). In less frequent cases, when the lesion affects more vertebrae, neurological, orthopedic an urologie symptoms are involved, too (Bing 1929, Csákány & Forrai 1984, Horányi 1961). Even though modern surgical operations are at hand today, only one third of the neonates suffering from spina bifida can live up 1 This lesion is frequently found in the Avar series, too, in the Carpathian Basin (Kőhegyi & Marcsik 1976, Marcsik 1983). In the geographic region, it is caused, first of all, by iron deficiency anaemia - a nutritional deficiency disease. On the basis of the newest investigations (Józsa & Pap 1991) its scanning microscope description is known, too.