MSFS Day 4: Tales from the Crypt

Notes from the Field School: July 26th, 2016

Karl talking to students about skeletal lesions.

Today began with an excellent lecture regarding skeletal lesions and differential diagnosis by Karl. The students viewed photographic examples of pathologies associated with syphilis, cribra orbitalia, various types of fractures, etc. These examples came from sites in Scotland and South America. The lecture generated a lively discussion as the students asked questions about other stories that bones are able to tell.

After a quick break, the students were given additional information regarding the field of forensic anthropology given by Dario. He showed examples of dental pathologies, radiating fractures, and many other osteological phenomena that can be observed in both modern forensic and anthropological settings. The students were again filled with excellent questions for Dario after the lecture.

Students describe their observations to one another.

The students then grabbed their lab coats and put on their examination gloves before heading down to the crypt. Armed with new knowledge and fresh eyes, they reexamined the mummies that they worked on yesterday looking for anomalies. They reported lots of interesting observations, both of the bones and of evidence of taphonomic issues found in context with the bodies. Each group walked the class through their discoveries before placing the coffins back into their storage area and heading in for lunch.

Jordan enjoys his tiramisu.

Lunch was wonderful, as usual. It consisted of bread, cheese, ham, and a wonderful pasta smothered in a red pepper cheese sauce. This pasta left the students so impressed that they later found a recipe for the dish online and sent a link out to our group messaging application for all to save. Fresh peaches were served after lunch, and Jordan had his customary tiramisu. We also enjoyed a round of espressos along with almonds nestled inside of a tiramisu candy that was dipped in white chocolate.

The group took a mid-day break and reconvened around 3:00pm to visually examine the next set of mummies. Opting to stay in their same groups for the new examinations, students carefully pulled additional mummies out of their storage space and began documenting what they were seeing. They were able to identify sex and the approximate age for their mummies with some confidence. They noted the presence of many organisms associated with the corpocenosis, which they had learned about last night. These organisms included snails, flies, beetles, millipedes, and even an earwig!

Many observations about the bones were made by students and their differential diagnoses were often supported or even confirmed by the instructors. We saw lots of interesting dental issues, including dental caries (cavities), dental calculus(hardened plaque), possible abscesses, and enamel hypoplasias (indicate malnutrition in childhood). We also saw evidence of both osteoblastic and osteoclastic activities that had been occurring in the lives of these individuals. Lesions showing stress from repetitive motions, potential infections, arthritis, and other skeletal abnormalities were observed and recorded by the students.

Felt a bit like the crypt-keeper myself
 when students didn't know this show.

I made a quip about us all having "Tales from the Crypt" to share when we got back. The students were confused. Apparently, I was showing my age as only one of them knew anything about this television show, which ran from 1989-1996. We did, however, also observe the tail from an animal in context with one of the mummies...so we did have a tail in the crypt....and we do have tales from the crypt for those who can appreciate outdated references.

The herbed chicken and potatoes
were a fast favorite among students.

Dinner for the evening was a delicious oven-baked rosemary chicken with herbed potatoes, salad, french fries, and bread. The students were impressed by how juicy the chicken was and by the perfectly complimentary potatoes. Dinner was followed by offerings of fruit and tiramisu and, of course, espresso. One of the great things about Sicily is that no one leaves the table hungry!

We had our second Italian lesson with Katia after dinner. Today, we learned how to say and write numbers and how to describe time. We also learned that Italians literally speak with their hands. The first part of the lesson was devoted to the meanings behind Italian gestures....of which there are many! The students recalled interactions they have had over the past few days with locals involving a wide range of such gestures. Katia even showed a YouTube video of two Italians having an entire conversation using only these gestures. When the lesson was complete, most of the students decided to hike up to the castle to find a bar that Katia told them about. They were excited to use their new communication skills to interact in both the spoken and unspoken words.

Katia explains the way to communicate without speaking in Italy.

Written by  Dr. Johnica J. Morrow (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)