Construction crew discovers grave of "Tiny Tim".

London (IP).—Construction workers renovating an 18th press conference here. ‘‘In addition, samples from the spine century church in south London this week uncovered the grave submitted to the Microbiology Research Institute of Cambridge site of Timothy Cratchit, the popular figure of Charles Dickens’ have tested positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis by polyA Christmas Carol. Archaeologists and forensic anthropolomerase chain reaction. This makes it all but certain that it was gists from the Royal Historic Society have confirmed the findPott’s disease, TB of the spine, which afflicted Tiny Tim as a ing. Experts feel that this discovery will shed new light on the child, and very likely it was TB that ultimately killed him.’’ controversy regarding the nature of ‘‘Tiny Tim’s’’ crippling Tuberculous spondylitis, or TB of the spine, was described disease and death. by Sir Percivall Pott (1714–1788) 60 years before Timothy Excavation to strengthen the buttresses and roof supports of Cratchit was born. Typically, children become infected first St. Andrew’s Church in London led to the discovery of 13 with TB pneumonia, which they contract from a contagious grave sites dating to the late 19th century. The graves and adult. The bacteria then spread through the bloodstream and marker stones had been buried under decades of debris and lodge in the backbone, where they begin an insidious destrucpaved over in 1963. While the discovery of forgotten graves tion. Usually the body is able to fight the initial infection, but is not uncommon in this section of London, this discovery was the TB in the backbone continues to smoulder. The majority particularly exciting, according to Dr. Peter Brown of the Royal of cases of TB of the spine, or Pott’s disease, occur in children Historic Society. ‘‘We are often called to examine the markers between 3 and 10 years of age. Children develop pain and or graves for their potential archaeologic value. It was almost stiffness of the back, followed by gradual wasting, fatigue, and by accident that we discovered Cratchit’s tombstone.’’ After intermittent fevers. A section of the spine is gradually demoving several of the large stones, workers stumbled across a stroyed, leading to shortened trunk height. The legs may bestone that read ‘‘In Memory. Timothy Cratchit. 1839–1884. come weaker if the crumbling backbones push on the spinal Beloved Husband of Julia, Father of Robert, and Son of Robert cord. The children often lose the ability to walk normally. and Martha.’’ Immediately beneath the stone, skeletal remains ‘‘While it is possible for children to live for years and even were discovered. They were of a man approximately 40 years decades with this condition,’’ Dr. McClean explained, ‘‘death of age wearing a frame of metal and leather on his legs and will often occur rapidly in the weakened or malnourished child, lower back. when the bone infection leaks into the fluid surrounding the The discovery of the skeletal remains of Timothy Cratchit spinal cord and brain, causing meningitis.’’ has sparked great interest among members of the Royal Historic Recent articles have explored the possible causes of Tiny Society. ‘‘We finally have a reasonable idea of the nature of his Tim’s affliction. In 1972, Jones suggested the possibility of TB crippling disease and death,’’ Dr. William McClean, a forensic of the hip in an article in the Australian Pediatric Journal. A anthropologist with the Royal Society, explained. ‘‘This will pediatrician suggested the possibility of Pott’s disease in an settle an issue which has been debated by physicians for 50 American pediatric journal in 1991. Dr. Donald Lewis captured years.’’ He went on to explain that Cratchit’s skeleton revealed the imagination of the press worldwide with a 1992 article in changes that pathologists had seen before. In 1910, Elliot the same pediatric journal, suggesting that Tim suffered from Smith, working in Egypt, examined the mummified remains of a rare form of kidney disease, distal renal tubular acidosis a Priest of Amon named Nesperenhep, who lived roughly 1000 (RTA). Dr. McClean reviewed these theories in a recent press years before Christ. Dr. Smith discovered a curve of the backrelease. ‘‘Distal RTA is so uncommon that a busy pediatrician bone and evidence of muscle infection characteristic of tubermay see a case or two at most in his or her entire career. culosis (TB) of the spine. ‘‘The skeleton of Timothy Cratchit However, in 1843 when Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol, revealed the exact same findings,’’ Dr. McClean stated in a approximately one-half of the English population was affected