Louisiana Research Day Program Book 2025

Anatomy and Epidemiology

Anatomy and Epidemiology

Jackson Clayton, OMS-II; Julianne Atchison-Waid, OMS-II; Jenna M Dittmar, PhD VCOM-Louisiana 45 SEXUAL DIMORPHISM OF THE FEMORAL HEADS

Jenna M. Dittmar, PhD 1, 2 ; Rebecca Crozier, PhD 2 ; Toni de-Dios, PhD 3 ; Christiana L. Scheib, PhD 3, 4 ; Jackson W Armstrong, PhD 2 ; Jenny Pape 5 ; Ross MacLennan 5 ; Ricky Craig 6 ; Marc F. Oxenham, PhD 2, 7 1 VCOM-Louisiana; 2 University of Aberdeen; 3 University of Tartu; 4 University of Cambridge; 5 Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums; 6 Independent GIS Specialist and Cartographer; 7 Australian National University 46 THE FINAL PLAGUE OUTBREAK IN SCOTLAND 1644 – 1649: HISTORICAL, ARCHAEOLOGICAL, AND GENETIC EVIDENCE

Context: In anthropological and forensic fields of study, several sexually dimorphic landmarks of the human skeleton are often used for sex identification, including the pelvis, skull, and teeth. The femoral head is a significant landmark for sexual identification due to its interaction with the pelvis. The femoral head is significant in hip arthroplasty as appropriate measurements are required to allow for greater functionality of the prosthetic. Methods: The femoral heads of 13 male and 15 female adult human cadaver donors from the South Central region of the United States were measured. The maximum diameter, vertical diameter and horizontal diameter of each femoral head was measured using a digital calipers (accuracy: 0.01mm) and a sewing tape was used to measure the circumference. Data was analyzed using independent-samples t-tests (significance level p=0.05). Objective: To determine the sexual dimorphism of the femoral head in humans.

females (p < 0.001), indicating significant sexual size dimorphism.

Context: The second plague pandemic, caused by the bacterium Y. pestis, was a 500-year-long pandemic that ravaged Europe between the 14th and 19th centuries AD. Numerous studies have focused on the initial wave of this pandemic, often referred to as the ‘Black Death’ due to its exceedingly high mortality rate. However, much remains unknown about the later waves of pandemic especially in northern communities. Objective: This paper has several aims: to determine if Yersinia pestis was the causative agent in the last Scottish plague outbreak in the mid-17th century; map the geographic spread of the epidemic and isolate potential contributing factors to its spread and severity; and examine funerary behaviors in the context of a serious plague epidemic in early modern Scotland. Methods: To answer the above questions, a multidisciplinary approach that combines human osteoarchaeological and ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis with historical research was employed. Results & Conclusions: aDNA analysis confirmed the presence of Yersinia pestis in three individuals buried in a mass grave

in Aberdeen: providing the first molecular evidence of this pathogen from Scotland. Thus, establishing that the plague was indeed responsible for the documented disease outbreak from 1644 through to 1649. Documentary sources illustrate the geographic spread of the plague was primarily confined to the central lowlands of Scotland, with a few notable exceptions. When contextualized, the distribution of this epidemic is arguably a function of population density/distribution, transportation networks, and the chaos associated with the concurrent civil war. Administrative responses to the epidemic likely had a variable, albeit limited, effect in the central lowlands. More peripheral cities, such as Aberdeen, while also employing sophisticated plague prevention measures, were perhaps initially spared simply due to their distance from the central plague belt. Normative funerary practices appeared to remain the norm throughout this period. However, mass burial appears to have been a practical approach to the logistical problems mass mortality presented in instances where a community became overwhelmed.

Conclusions: These finding support previous studies that highlight the femoral head is an important landmark that can be used to identify the sex of disarticulated skeletal elements in forensic contexts. The data generated here may also contribute to ongoing research that examines the shifting patterns of human anatomical variation and sexual dimorphism to aid in the development of prosthetics for hip arthroplasty.

Results: Each of the four measurements was statistically significant between males and

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2025 Research Recognition Day