Paleoepidemiology of trauma in a prehistoric California population • 245 



iniiiiiiiii 



METRIC 1 ' 



Figure 5. Fifth lumbar vertebra with 

 projectile point embedded in anterior 

 centrum. Female, 19-21 years. 



FiGLiRE 6. CT scan of same element as 

 Figure 5. Distance A-B (16.8mm) is 

 length of obsidian point. 



superior articular facet. The remainder of the projectile point 

 was also found with the burial. This individual apparently 

 survived his wound as indicated by the resorption of bone 

 about the embedded tip. 



Three other cases also involve the vertebral column, one in 

 a probable male, 15- 17 years of age, with a small point in the 

 dorsum of the 6th thoracic vertebra (T6) just below the left 

 transverse process. No sign of healing is evident. In another 

 case, a male 35-44 years of age at death, a large obsidian 

 point was found in th? right centrum of Tl 2 just superior to 

 the rib facet; the angle of trajectory indicates the projectile 

 entered through the front, no doubt causing massive injury. 

 Indeed, the projectile is deeply embedded, and there is no 

 sign of healing. Moreover, there is another projectile wound 

 in the distal end of the left radius, also showing no sign of 

 healing (and thus probably resulting from the same obviously 

 fatal incident). The last case of a vertebral projectile lesion is 



a young male, aged 20-22 at death. The broken end of an 

 obsidian point is lodged in the right transverse process of his 

 second lumbar vertebra. Since the point is broken, the angle 

 of trajectory is difficult to ascertain; however, it appears he 

 was shot from the front or to the side from the front. Addi- 

 tionally, the angle of trajectory appears to have come from 

 below, unless of course the victim was shot while on the 

 ground. There is no sign of healing about the wound. 



Another interesting case of a projectile wound presents a 

 somewhat different pattern, as this individual, a probable 

 female aged 17-21 , was shot from the front and fairly high 

 up with the obsidian point partially penetrating the man- 

 ubrium. The lesion is well bounded (i.e., healed) and thus 

 appears at least moderately long standing. Given the rela- 

 tively young age of this individual at death, it suggests that 

 quite young individuals, even females, found their way into 

 the firing line of projectiles. 



Zagreb Paleopathology Symp. 1988 



