Dental caries at Lapa do Santo, central-eastern Brazil: An Early Holocene archaeological site

ABSTRACT The origin and dispersion of the first Americans have been extensively investigated from morphological and genetic perspectives, but few studies have focused on their health and lifestyle. The archaeological site of Lapa do Santo, central-eastern Brazil, has exceptionally preserved Early Holocene human skeletons, providing 19 individuals with 327 permanent and 122 deciduous teeth dated to 9,250 to 7,500 years BP. In this study, we test whether the inhabitants of Lapa do Santo had high prevalence of dental caries as previous studies of Lagoa Santa collection have indicated, using individual and tooth as units of analyses. The results show a high prevalence of dental caries in the permanent dentition (5.50%, n=327 teeth; 69.23%, n=13 individuals) compared to other samples of hunter-gatherers worldwide. In addition, dental caries in deciduous teeth start occurring as early as 3 to 4 years old, suggesting an early start to caries. Compared with other samples from Lagoa Santa, Lapa do Santo shows statistically similar prevalence of overall caries but different caries location pattern. We believe that a subsistence adaptation to a tropical environment rich in sources of carbohydrates, such as fruits, is the best explanation for the overall caries prevalence.

Prehistoric Pathoecology as Represented by Parasites of a Mummy from the Peruaçu Valley, Brazil

Paleopathologists have begun exploring the pathoecology of parasitic diseases in relation to diet and environment. We are summarizing the parasitological findings from a mummy in the site of Lapa do Boquete, a Brazilian cave in the state of Minas Gerais. These findings in context of the archaeology of the site provided insights into the pathoecology of disease transmission in cave and rockshelter environments. We are presenting a description of the site followed by the evidence of hookworm, intestinal fluke, and Trypanosoma infection with resulting Chagas disease in the mummy discovered in the cave. These findings are used to reconstruct the transmission ecology of the site.

A memória do sonho: um conflito epistêmico na teoria freudiana / The memory of dream: an epistemic conflict in Freudian psychoanalytic theory / La memoria del sueño: un conflicto epistémico en la teoría freudiana

A noção de "memória do sonho" (Traumgedãchtnis) aparece logo de início na obra freudiana, desde o primeiro capítulo d'A interpretação dos sonhos. Revela o interesse de Freud pelas "experiências" e pelas "impressões sensoriais" dos "primeiríssimos tempos da infância". Mas a importância concedida a essa memória da "vivência" da primeira infância que só o sonho é capaz de conservar, uma "memória sem lembrança", desaparecerá, sobretudo a partir dos anos 1910, em prol da memória da "transferência infantil", do conteúdo do relato do sonho, portadores das lembranças representadas. Para a autora, Freud impõe, assim, uma limitação a seu método e reduz o campo da rememoração. Isso torna ainda mais marcante o retorno da concepção de 1900 no final da obra freudiana. Em 1938, no Compêndio de psicanálise, a retomada da noção de "memória do sonho" deve ser entendida como um momento de ampliação do método, como indicação por parte de Freud da via a seguir para ter acesso aos traços não representáveis dos traumas dos "primeiríssimos tempos da infância", sem o que a análise fracassa, tal como a do Homem dos Lobos.

The notion of "memory of the dream" (Traumgedächtnis) is presented in Freud's early work, since the first chapter of The interpretation of dreams. It reveals that Freud was interested in the "experiences" and the "sensorial impressions" of the "earliest childhood". However, the importance given to the memory of "living" the early childhood - a memory that only dreams are able to preserve (a "memory without memory") - will disappear to make way for the memory of "infantile transference", of the content of the reported dream, which brings represented memories. It starts especially from the second decade of the 20th Century. In the author's opinion, Freud imposes a limit on his method, and reduces the rememorization field. It makes the return of the 1900's thinking in Freud's late work even more outstanding. In 1938, the return to the notion of "memory of the dream" (in An outline of psychoanalysis) should be understood as the moment when the method is extended, as a Freud's suggestion of the path that should be taken in order to access the not representable traumas of the "earliest childhood"; without that, analysis has no success, just like happened in the case of the Wolf Man.

La noción de "memoria del sueño" (Traumgedächtnis) aparece de forma temprana en las obras freudianas, en el primer capítulo de La interpretación de los sueños. Revela el interés de Freud por las "experiencias" y por las "impresiones sensoriales" de los "primerísimos tiempos de la infancia". No obstante, la importancia concedida a esa memoria de la "vivencia" de la primera infancia que solamente el sueño es capaz de conservar, una "memoria sin recuerdos", desaparecerá, principalmente a partir de la década de 1910, en pro de la memoria de "transferencia infantil", del contenido del relato del sueño, portadores de los recuerdos representados. Para la autora, Freud impone, de esta forma, una limitación a su método y reduce el campo de la rememoración. Eso torna aún más importante el retorno de la concepción de 1900 al final de la obra freudiana. En 1938, en el Esquema del psicoanálisis, la retomada de la noción de la "memoria del sueño" debe ser interpretada como un momento de ampliación del método, como una indicación por parte de Freud del camino a seguir para tener acceso a los trazos no representables de los traumas de los "primerísimos tiempos de la infancia", con el objetivo de evitar el fracaso del análisis, como sucede en el caso del Hombre de los Lobos.

Neem (Azadirachta indica):Prehistory to contemporary medicinal uses to humankind

The divine tree neem (Azadirachta indica) is mainly cultivated in the Indian subcontinent. Neem has been used extensively by humankind to treat various ailments before the availability of written records which recorded the beginning of history. The world health organization estimates that 80%of the population living in the developing countries relies exclusively on traditional medicine for their primary health care. More than half of the world’s population still relies entirely on plants for medicines, and plants supply the active ingredients of most traditional medical products. The review shows the neem has been used by humankind to treat various ailments from prehistory to contemporary.

Human mobility on the Brazilian coast: an analysis of strontium isotopes in archaeological human remains from Forte Marechal Luz Sambaqui

This study investigated strontium isotopes in the dental enamel of 32 human skeletons from Forte Marechal Luz sambaqui (shellmound), Santa Catarina, Brazil, aiming at identifying local and non-local individuals. The archeological site presents pot sherds in the uppermost archeological layers. Dental enamel was also examined from specimens of terrestrial fauna (87Sr/86Sr = 0. 71046 to 0. 71273) and marine fauna (87Sr/86Sr = 0. 70917). The 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratio for individuals classified as locals ranged from 0. 70905 to 0. 71064 and was closer to the isotope ratio of the seawater than to the ratio of the terrestrial fauna, indicating a strong influence of marine strontium on the inhabitants of this sambaqui. The results indicate the existence of three non-local individuals (87Sr/86Sr = 0. 70761 to 0. 70835), buried in both the level without pottery and the layer with pottery, possibly originated from the Santa Catarina Plateau, close to the municipality of Lages, or from the Curitiba Plateau. The occurrence of a slight difference between the isotope ratios of local individuals buried in the archeological layer without pottery, when compared to those in the layer with pottery, suggests a possible change in dietary patterns between these two moments in the site's occupation.

O presente estudo investigou isótopos de estrôncio em esmalte dentário de 32 remanescentes humanos do sambaqui do Forte Marechal Luz, Santa Catarina, Brasil, com o objetivo de identificar indivíduos locais e não-locais. O sítio arqueológico apresenta fragmentos de cerâmica em suas camadas arqueológicas mais recentes. Além das amostras humanas, foram analisadas amostras de esmalte dentário de espécimes de fauna terrestre (87Sr/86Sr = 0,71046 a 0,71273) e fauna marinha (87Sr/86Sr = 0,70917). A razão 87Sr/86Sr dos indivíduos classificados como locais variou de 0,70905 a 0,71064, sendo próxima a razão de estrôncio existente nos oceanos e distante da razão obtida para a fauna terrestre do mesmo sítio, indicando uma influência marinha na origem do estrôncio dos habitantes desse sambaqui. Foram identificados de três indivíduos não locais (87Sr/86Sr = 0,70761 a 0,70835), sepultados em ambas camadas arqueológicas sem evidência e com evidência de cerâmica. Estes indivíduos podem ter origem no planalto catarinense, no entorno do município de Lages, ou do planalto curitibano. A ocorrência de uma pequena diferença entre as razões isotópicas dos indivíduos locais sepultados nas camadas sem evidência de cerâmica, daqueles sepultados nas camadas ceramistas, sugere a possibilidade de uma mudança nos padrões de alimentação entre esses dois momentos de ocupação do sítio.