Table 2. F requency of infectious lesion types 



Period Category of No. (%) Total/no. (%) 



(no.) infection individuals 



Paleopathological study on infectious diseases in Japan • 133 

 Table 3. Sex differences of lesions' frequencies 



Period Category of 

 lesion 



Male Female Total 



13/113 (11.6%) 

 subtotal 57/563 (10.1%) 



Table 5. Secular changes of the 

 frequency of lesions in the femur 

 and tibia 



Edo 



Table 4. Severity of the infectious lesion 



Period Periostitis Osteomyelitis Total 

 slight severe no. (%) 



SECULAR CHANGES OF THE FREQUENCY IN THE FEMUR AND 



TIBIA. The frequencies of infectious changes appearing in 

 the lower extremities were compared. The reasons why the 

 femur and tibia were selected in this examination are the 

 following: (a) these bones, especially the tibia, are by far the 

 most frequently affected by such infectious change (Golds- 

 tein 1957; Brothwell 1961 ), (b) their broad periosteal surface 



Zagreb Palfopaihology Symp. 1988 



enables us examine them by gross observation with ease, and 

 (c) a great number of isolated and unidentified femurs, tibias, 

 and skulls in the Edo series at least can be used in the com- 

 parison of frequencies. The result is shown in Table 5. The 

 frequencies which represent the infected bones, including 

 both nonspecific and specific changes, are calculated from 

 the total number of femurs and tibias from both sides. 



