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ESSAYS-LECTURES - Gy. Regöly-Mérei: Paleopathological Examination of Skeletal Finds in the Roman Period and Description of Diseases in Greek and Roman Medical Texts (in English)
paleopathological finds [ 10] which originate also from Roman times but from a different Transdanubian topographical unity, Győr (the Pannonian Arrabona). Distribution of my material of examinations according to place of finds and age groups: From Fazekasboda : 3 (Adult; Mat.) 1 Inf. II. (skull, skelton, bones, spine), From Feked: 1 Adult, 1 Juven., 1 Inf. II. and 1 Inf. I. (only skulls), From Ger¿nÿ es : 1 Adult (only skull), From Hidas: 1 Adult (only skull), From Kővágószöllős: 1 Mat. (skull, skeleton bones, spine), From Kő : 2 cases, Adult., Mat. (skull, skeleteon bones, spine), From Vörösmart: 15 Adult, Mat. (I 14 cases skull, skeleton bones, spine. In 1 cas the skull was missing). 1 Inf. II., From Zengövárkonÿ: 5 (Adult., Mat.) (skull, skeleton bones, spine). Total Inf. I.: 1 Inf. II.: 3 Juv.: 1 Adult., Mat: 29 The population which I examined did not belong to the conquering Romans, but may have been the conquered autochton population, who did not take part in state administration, the regular army, but dealt chiefly with stock-breeding and agricultur, at most some of them could have been outposts in auxiliary troops. So the data obtained from their conditions of life relates to the autochton population. In the classical era life-span was not very high, so f.i. Hippocrates (Peri hebdomaden. e.V., [13]) regards the age of 49—56 as old and all those above that age as decrepit. In Rome, undoubtedly 40—50 years was considered old age. In spite of the fact that in the country nourishment and other conditions of life could be more favourable yet the life span of the population I examined was conspicuously low even if somewhat higher than that established by Gáspárđÿ [10] in his examinations. Whereas, accordingly to Gáspárđÿ's examinations from Győr (Arrabona) 11 from 30 persons did not reach adult age (22—25 years) and not one their senium, in those examined by me 29 individuals from 34 belonged to the adult—mature age group but even these died before reaching old age. In my examination material rickets occured too. Chiefly Gáspárđÿ, but I also found numerous cases of spondylosis which can be a sign of the spine. All these tend to show the population could not have lived under very favourable circumstances. DETAILED RESULTS OF THE PALEOPATHOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS. DESCRIPTIONS OF DISEASES IN GREEK AND ROMAN MEDICAL TEXTS In 18 cases of the examined finds pathological alterations were to be found, in 16 cases these were lacking. As in most of the cases the teeth were missing, dental alterations do not play a role in our investigation. I could dispense with 56
