An evaluation of the significance of 'scars of parturition' in the Christ Church Spitalfields sample

Abstract

The relationship between the preauricular sulcus \nand pitting on the dorsal aspect of the pubic corpus in \nassociation with pregnancy and parturition has aroused \nconsiderable interest since the early 1970's. The major \nlimitation of much of the discussion is that it has been \nbased on data derived from skeletal samples with either \nunknown or uncertain obstetric histories. \nThe excavation of the crypts beneath Christ \nChurch, Spitalfields between 1984 and 1986 produced 968 \nskeletons, 387 of which were recovered in association with \nsecurely associated, legible coffin plates. Of the 138 \nadult females in this sample the parity status of 94 has \nbeen reconstructed from historical documentation. \nSuch obstetric factors as parity status, number of \nbirths, age at first and last births and birth spacing \nhave been examined in relation to the presence or absence \nof the preauricular sulcus, its type and size, pubic \npitting, sacral scarring and the extension of the pubic \ntubercle. \nThe results suggest that the preauricular sulcus \nand sacral scarring are independent of obstetric events \nand that although the small numbers of females with more \nthan one pubic pit or an extended pubic tubercle had born \nchildren, the absence of these features is associated with \nboth parous and nulliparous females. \nUnlike previous studies, both localised cortical \nresorption and tubercle extension were evaluated as a \ncomponent part of the obstetric pelvis. The more capacious \npelvis proved to be associated with wider and longer \npreauricular sulci and with the presence of pubic pitting. \nIn order to facilitate comparative studies the \nChrist Church females are described as part of the sample \nfrom which they are derived. Their environmental and \ncultural backgrounds are discussed.

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