J. Antall szerk.: Medical history in Hungary. Presented to the XXII. International Congress for the History of Medicine / Orvostörténeti Közlemények – Supplementum 4. (Budapest, 1970)

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)

6. case: Pal. path. Protoc. No. 323—60 from Gerényes: skull of an adult male was well preserved, the circumference 55,5 cm weight 2250 gr. which is an extremely high value as those male skulls being buried since an approximately identical time and in similar soil weighed 650—750 gr. on an average. The bone structure was massive, hard as marble reminding one of ivory. The tuberae cranii both arcus sygomaticus and the processus mastoideus are robust. On the whole region of the linea muchae superior rough thickening of the bone is transversal recalling a torus occipitalis. On the radiograph the skull bones are greatly thickenned, compact. The bone of the skull is similar. The bonestructure could not be recognized. Narrowing of the cella turcica. The foramen opticum of normal width. The skull was found while excavating, the skeleton bones and vertebrae could not be saved. Archeological examination of the supplements of the disarranged graves were performed. (J. Dombay

) by fluorescence of the skull in Wood-light and with indeophenol and Nile-blue staining (Regöly-Mérei) it could be established that the finds originate from the Roman period, that is, they have been lying for 1500—1700 years which is equivalent to the Pannónia era. In the course of my examinations I have found the following changes! a) Rickets : see description of cases 1. and 2., as well as figure 1. In the finds of the Roman times rickets is hardly to be found and though only three adults and one child were excavated in Fazekasboda it is striking that rickets occured in two cases. In the other Transdanubian finds from Roman times I came across no such changes. In his book on paleopathology Wells [25] refers to the results of my examination from Fazekasb¤đa and calls attention to the fact that rickets was known to the Roman physicians for descriptions recalling this are to be found in the works of Sorañųs too. This statement by Wells is very important from medical historical point of view. Looking up Sorañųs original description we found the following (Peri gynaik. L.I.C. XI. 112) [22], "If the infant sits up or stands up it must be supported. If namely, it sits up to early its soft-boned spine twists, standing up the same happens to the femur." Galenus writes of similar experiences: "Children move by themselves when learning to walk and crawl, but they should not be forced to do so too early, otherwise their thigh-bone will become crooked (De sanit., c. 7. [9]). It is well known that the denominator of rickets Glisson (1650) [11] described the signs and symptoms in detail already five years earlier in Whistler's medical Fig. 1. Roentgenogram of the fibula from Fazekasb¤đa No. 57, 159 (grave 4) 58