Objectives

Physiological disturbances experienced during the early stages of biological development may have an impact on later periods of ontogenesis. The purpose of this study was to assess whether there is a correlation between early childhood mortality in archaeological populations and the age of onset of such disruptions in the course of prenatal and postnatal development.

Material and methods

Primary incisors were taken from 55 individuals who died at the age of 2–6 years and were buried in a mediaeval cemetery located in Brześć Kujawski in the region of Kujawy. The study material was divided into children who died at the age of 2–3 years (n = 29) and those who died at the age of 4 years and later (n = 26). Each tooth had at least one visible postnatal accentuated line. The distance between the neonatal line (NNL) in the lateral enamel and any visible accentuated line (AL) was measured and divided by the local daily enamel secretion rate in order to estimate the time of onset of the AL. The width of ALs was also measured.

Results

The average age of onset of the first AL in children who died before 4 years of age and in those who died older was 56 and 59 days after birth, respectively, with the difference not being statistically significant (Z = 0.56; p = 0.576). However, children who died younger revealed wider ALs (Z = 2.06; p = 0.039).

Conclusion

These results indicate that in past populations childhood mortality was not influenced by the exact time of occurrence of unfavourable factors in the early postnatal period, but rather by environmental conditions in the perinatal period and the first month of life shaping the individual predispositions of the response to them.

中文翻译：

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波兰中北部中世纪骨骼遗骸中主切牙牙釉质中突出线的出现时间和宽度：对过去人群早期儿童死亡率解释的进一步贡献

目标

在生物发育的早期阶段经历的生理障碍可能对个体发育的后期产生影响。本研究的目的是评估考古人群的儿童早期死亡率与产前和产后发育过程中这种破坏的发生年龄之间是否存在相关性。

材料与方法

主切牙取自 55 名在 2-6 岁时死亡的人，他们被埋葬在位于 Kujawy 地区 Brześć Kujawski 的中世纪墓地中。研究材料分为 2-3 岁死亡的儿童（n  = 29）和 4 岁及以后死亡的儿童（n  = 26）。每颗牙齿至少有一条可见的出生后加重线。测量外侧牙釉质中的新生儿线 (NNL) 和任何可见的加重线 (AL) 之间的距离，然后除以当地的每日牙釉质分泌率，以估计 AL 的发病时间。还测量了 AL 的宽度。

结果

4 岁前死亡的儿童和年龄较大的儿童首次 AL 发病的平均年龄分别为出生后 56 天和 59 天，差异无统计学意义（Z  = 0.56；p  = 0.576） . 然而，较早死亡的儿童显示出更广泛的 AL（Z = 2.06；p = 0.039）。

结论

这些结果表明，在过去的人群中，儿童死亡率不受出生后早期不利因素发生的确切时间的影响，而是受围产期和生命第一个月的环境条件影响，这些环境条件塑造了个体对疾病的反应的倾向。他们。