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Investigating the Prevalence Rates of Porotic Hyperostosis BetweenInfectious Diseases and Non-Infectious Causes within the New YorkAfrican Burial Ground
Cooper, Jaenya
Cooper, Jaenya
Abstract
Porotic Hyperostosis (PH) is a cranial lesion often associated with systemic anemia.Traditionally interpreted as a result of iron deficiency, recent bioarchaeological researchcomplicates this view by linking PH to both infectious and non-infectious physiological stressors.This study investigates the comparative prevalence of PH among individuals exhibiting markersof infectious stress, including osteomyelitis (OSTEO) and reactive woven bone (RWSO), and thoseshowing evidence of non-infectious nutritional or metabolic stress, including sclerotic bone(SCLE) and thickened diploë (THIC), using data from the New York African Burial Ground (NYABG).Through descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and cross-tabulations, the analysis reveals strongcorrelations between PH and infectious markers, particularly OSTEO and RWSO, while alsoidentifying independent cases of PH associated with non-infectious markers such as SCLE andTHIC. These findings demonstrate that PH has a multifactorial etiology emerging throughoverlapping pathways of infection, malnutrition, and chronic inflammation. By situating thesebiological findings within the framework of structural violence and systemic deprivationexperienced by enslaved Africans in eighteenth-century New York, this study contextualizes PHnot only as a biological indicator but also as a symptom of structural violence, malnutrition, andchronic inflammation in enslaved African populations.
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2025-12-11
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Anthropology