A growing body of literature indicates that diseases can affect women and men differently. Because sex differences extend far beyond biology, it is crucial to adopt a biocultural approach toward understanding human disease patterns and processes. This book synthesizes modern medical research with paleopathological investigations. Contributors explore conditions such as osteoporosis and osteopenia, iron deficiency anemia, infection, and immune reactivity and trauma. Recognizing the relationship between these conditions and aspects of sex and gender in past populations assist in the formulation of models from which modern disease processes can be better understood.

A group of contributors highlight advances made in paleopathology and demography through the analyses of historic cemeteries. These advancements include associations of documentary evidence with skeletal evaluations, insights into history gained through the use of skeletal analyses when no documentation exists and applications of new evaluative techniques. Provides a glimpse into the problems faced by researchers embarking on the excavation and/or analysis of historic human remains.

A growing body of literature indicates that diseases can affect women and men differently. As sex differences extend far beyond biology, it is crucial to adopt a bicultural approach towards understanding human disease patterns and processes. This 1998 book synthesizes modern medical research with paleopathological investigations. Conditions such as osteoporosis and osteopenia, iron deficiency anaemia, infection and immune reactivity and trauma are explored. Recognizing the relationship between these conditions and aspects of sex and gender in past populations assists in the formulation of models from which modern disease processes can be better understood. Exploring the differences will provide provocative ideas for all those in physical anthropology, archaeology, evolutionary biology, history of medicine and women's studies interested in how sex and gender impacts on disease.