Scanning electron microscopy of rib lesions

Abstract

Abstract Subperiosteal deposits of new bones on the visceral surfaces of ribs obtained from a variety of British Roman and Medieval cemeteries were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). They showed evidence of active deposition of bone around a network of vascular grooves. A sequence of stages, from a slight deepening of the grooves to complete enclosure of the blood vessel in a bony tunnel could be recognized and, in some specimens, several superimposed layers of new bone indicated that the process could be repeated. Microscopical evidence for osteoblastic and osteoclastic (Howships) lacunae existed in the best preserved specimens, showing the value of SEM, in demonstrating the cellular dynamics of palaeopathological processes. In the Terry Collection (Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC) the appearance of this lesion is significantly associated with tuberculosis or other pulmonary disease. We suggest a similar correlation for British material. The importance of establishing early diagnostic criteria for respiratory infection in osteoar‐chaeological material is emphasized. The presence of periostitis on rib visceral surfaces is detected easily using only a hand lens and abundant material is available. It is suggested that it might form one such useful diagnostic criterion.

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