funkhousee] ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF NORRIS BASIN 249 



In general the bone pathology is much the same as that which has 

 often been reported from other sites in the Mississippi Valley. 

 Various types of lesions which might represent one or more of a 

 number of different diseases are common and it is seldom possible 

 to make a positive diagnosis, but a few can probably be definitely 

 diagnosed. 



The individual skeleton showing the largest amount of pathology 

 was doubtless the old man represented by Burial No. 4 in Site No. 19. 

 This skeleton showed a complete fusion of the lumbar vertebrae in 

 all of the joints and the same condition was shown in the right wrist, 

 where several of the carpal bones are fused and the head of the third 

 metacarpal is fused with the carpals (pi. 141). The same skeleton 

 showed complete destruction of the left femur with some prolifera- 

 tion on the denuded surface and marked bony destruction of the left 

 acetabulum with late bony proliferation (pi. 143, &). The same indi- 

 vidual had a hypertrophic arthritis of the spine, atrophic changes in 

 the shaft of the left femur, extensive periostitis involving the upper 

 portions of the occipital bone and the mesal and posterior por- 

 tions of both parietal bones, together with a considerable amount of 

 dental pathology, which was noted in the discussion of this burial 

 in a preceding section of this report. 



Burial No. 2 of Site No. 5 showed proliferative periostitis of both 

 tibiae and fibulae as represented in plate 142. The condition of the 

 fibulae as compared with normal bones is shown in plate 143, a. 

 The same figure shows the radii of the skeleton from Burial No. 8, 

 Site No. 19, one of which shows a healed fracture with displace- 

 ment at the proximal end. This skeleton also showed hypertrophic 

 arthritis of the spine. 



An interesting and rather peculiar lesion was found on the right 

 femur of the skeleton in Burial No. 14, Site No. 19. This is shown 

 in plate 145. In this bone there are evidences of three old sinuses 

 and the entire distal half of the bone is greatly enlarged, much 

 roughened, and covered by dense bone. The cause of this condition 

 is conjectural. The left femur of the same skeleton is entirely 

 normal. A posterior view of the pair is shown in plate 144. 



In Skull No. 14 of Site No. 20 the occipital region is badly burned, 

 but whether the burning took place before or after death can not 

 be determined. The same skull, which is shown in plate 140, a, shows 

 old healed osteomyelitis of the frontal bone with five distinct pits 

 and several smaller depressions. 



A most interesting example of the healing of a broken bone is shown 

 in a femur from Burial No. 15 of Site No. 22. Here can be seen a 

 healed comminuted fracture with massive callous formation with a 

 cleft from which a sequestrum has disappeared. The result of this 



