Dr. T. Tóth szerk.: Studia historico-anthropologica (Anthropologia Hungarica 21. Budapest, 1990)

diet, by chronic haemorrhage or by helminthiasis (JELIFFE & al. 1962, UE-INJO 1958, MOSELEY 1961, 1965, HENGEN 1971, MARTIN et al. 1985). It scarcely develops with congenital a heart disease cases with calcipenic conditions and with chronic infections. PH occurred all around the world. WELCKER discovered it on archaeological material from Germany. HRDLICKA found PH in Peru, HOOTON in Mexico, WAKEFIELD & al. (1937) in Arizona. WILLIAMS (1929) established its presence on pre-Columbian material from Arkansas, JELIFFE et al. (1962) found it with children of the Bahima peoRle in Uganda and ADACHI (1904) detected it on ancient Egyptian and Daiak skulls. It was discovered on 182 skulls in Czechoslovakia up to 1981 (HANAKOVA &. VYHNANEK1981). NATHAN & HAAS (1966) observed it on monkeys and apes. The data are quite varied on the frequency of PH. HRDLICKA traced it down on 11 skulls from a total of 278. WILLIAMS found four cases from 176 ancient Peruvian crania while he found no PH at all in the Ontario skeletal material. "Hair on end" was perceived by HOOTON on two-thirds of all the ancient Mexican children's skulls analyzed. VOGT & DIAMOND (1930) found it with all his hereditary anaemia patients as well as JELIFFE & al. who also noticed it with all his anaemic patients. There are authors (HENSHEN 1961, MOSELEY 1965) who consider racial differences as one of the reasons for the different frequency of PH. MATERIAL AND METHOD We performed macroscopic, microscopic and electron microscopic analysis of the structure of PH as it occurred on historical and recent autopsy material. Recent, autopsy material: 8002 autopsies were examined in the National Institute of Traumatology between the 1st of January 1968 and 31st of December 1987. In the first decade the patient material came from the surgery and internal medical wards while the deceased came exclusively from the surgery ward in the second decade. Historical material; We analyzed the bones of 805 individuals originating from the territory of Hungary (Vörs-Papkert B: 8-11th c, Nagykőrös: 11-13th c, Esztergom-Vasútállomás: 11-12th c, Szabolcs-Petőfi utca: 11-13th c.) in the 8-13th centuries. X-ray examination: The bones bearing the traces of PH were analyzed by Medicor GT-2 X-ray equipment with tv image-amplifier. X-ray pictures of the selected material were taken. Microscopic analysis: The bones were embedded in paraffin after decalcification with EDTA or in Durcupan ACM without decalcification. The 5-8 urn sections were stained with HE (haematoxylineosin), picrosirius and PAS and toluidine blue staining, and were scrutinized by light and polarization microscopes. The skeletal material was investigated by stereomicroscoptas welt, to establish the bone structure. Scanning electron microscopic analysis: The skeletalized material was coated in gold without dehydration and fixation (PAWLICZKI 1976). Photographs were taken through a Tesla 300 BS scanning electron microscope. RADIOGRAPHIC MORPHOLOGY This lesion could be identified on the frontal bone, on the parietal bones, on the squamous part of temporal bones and on the palate. The first signs of PH is a clearly periostitis-like alteration on the tubera parietalia et frontalia and on the processus orbitális ossis frontalis, ft is closely followed by superficial osteoporosis. The continuous surface of lamina externa is ruptured, the diploe gets wider and a strongly defined trabecular system is visible. The lamina interna always remains compact. The lamina externa is thinned and turns porotic. Spicula take shape in a radial system, perpendicularly to the outer surface. These spicula can be 2-3 mm long. In profile a brush-like configuration is formed (Plate 1). Lamina externa is bulky and compact around porotic areas. The diploe is narrow and it contains only few trabeculae. The PH affected regions of cranial bones became markedly thicker. Wide, condensed lamina externa is visible in X-ray pictures after the remodelling brought about by healing.