The palaeopathology of the vertebral column in ancient Egypt and Nubia.

THE CRADLE of the history of medicine in the Old World is to be found in Ancient Egypt and Nubia. Abundant data is available from medical papyri, mummies, osseous remains, literature and art and extends from prehistoric to Graeco-Roman times. The range of pathological processes afflicting the Ancient Egyptians and Nubians has been extended with the description of more material. However, most excavators, particularly those in the period 1890 to 1920 paid little attention to the bones of the post cranial skeleton unless the changes were gross and this has restricted our knowledge of their pathology (Salib, 1967). Even if all post cranial bones were examined by the most modem techniques, the palaeopathologist is still limited by the number of ways bone can react to a pathological stimulus. Thus, only tentative conclusions may be possible, yet they can be extended if soft tissue was also present (Bourke, 1967; Sandison, 1968). The building of the Aswan Dam has stimulated further anthropological and palaeopathological study of these peoples and provoked reassessment of many aspects of their culture and biology. In this paper the palaeopathology of the vertebral column from prehistoric to Roman times will be discussed and an attempt made to evaluate the present extent of our knowledge. The vertebral column is comprised of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar vertebrae as well as the sacrum and coccyx. The palaeopathology will be discussed using Wells' classification (1964):