Abstract:
Two articulating chicken bones from a feast deposit, dated to the 16th century, from Chester, exhibit lesions consistent with the skeletal disorder chondrodystrophy. While this form of dwarfism has many potential causes, it is also consistent with the presentation of the \'creeper\' mutation. In this paper we describe and undertake a differential diagnosis of the two articulating chicken bones, and consider the wider significance of this find in 16th-century Britain. The appearance of these lesions, along with the widespread size increase in chickens, the rise of early modern publications concerning chicken husbandry, and contemporary observations that dwarf fowl were luxury foods, provide indirect support for this diagnosis and adds to the growing body of knowledge regarding the unintended health impact of selective breeding.
摘要:
从盛宴沉积物中取出的两根关节状鸡骨头,可追溯到16世纪,来自切斯特,病变表现出与骨骼疾病软骨营养不良一致。虽然这种形式的侏儒症有许多潜在的原因,它也与“爬山虎”突变的呈现一致。在本文中,我们描述并进行了两个关节鸡骨的鉴别诊断,并考虑这一发现在16世纪英国的更广泛意义。这些病变的出现,随着鸡的普遍体型增加,关于养鸡的早期现代出版物的兴起,和当代观察到矮人家禽是奢侈食品,为这种诊断提供间接支持,并增加了有关选择性育种对健康的意外影响的知识。