[Lucy's fatal childbirth? About materno-foetal mortality in the ancient times]. / L'accouchement tragique de Lucy ? À propos de la mortalité maternofœtale de la préhistoire à l'époque médiévale.

OBJECTIVES: Skeletal remains of pregnant woman whit fetus still in the pelvic region are scarce in the archaeological record. We aimed to review the different cases of maternal and fetal death in the ancient times. METHODS: A review of literature using Medline database and Google about mortality during pregnancy in Prehistory, Antiquity and middle age. The following key words were used: ancient times; paleopathology; immature fetus; medieval; pregnancy; mummies; Antiquity; maternal mortality. RESULTS: Thirty articles were found and we added one personal unpublished case. There were 64 female skeletons with mainly infectious abnormalities (10 dental abscesses and 2 pneumoniae) followed by traumatic lesions (2 frontal fractures and 1 femur luxation). There were 48 fetal remains and 3 twins. We noted 8 obstructed labors (3 breech presentations, 4 transverse lies and one possible shoulder dystocia). CONCLUSIONS: The fact that there were only few cases of maternal deaths with fetal remains raises the questions of the cause of death and the relationship between death and obstetric disorders. Beside the underestimation of these archaecological cases, the reasons of both fetal and maternal death must be looking for among several diseases or anomalies of both or of one of them, related with poor environmental conditions (such as malnutrition and high morbidity from infections) and lack of care the mother and fetus need.

Signo de Pedro Pons en antropología forense / Pedro Pons’ sign in forensic anthropology

Se encontraron los restos esqueléticos de un varón de entre 25-29 años fallecido durante la Guerra Civil Española (1936-1939) en Seròs (Lleida, España). El estudio antropológico evidenció la presencia de lesiones perimortem por proyectil de arma de fuego a nivel craneal como causa de muerte. El estudio del resto del esqueleto destacó una lesión a nivel de la columna vertebral. Macroscópica y radiológicamente se observó un foco destructivo en el borde antero-superior de la quinta vértebra lumbar que se corresponde con el clásico signo de Pedro Pons, compatible con una espondilitis brucelar. No se apreció afectación a nivel sacro-ilíaco. La presencia del signo de Pedro Pons indica que este individuo padecía brucelosis desde, como mínimo, tres semanas antes de su muerte (AU)

Human remains from the Spanish Civil War period were found (1936-1939) in Seròs (Lleida, Spain). One of theskeletons was identified as a 25-29 year old male. The anthropological study leaded to the identification of firearm perimortem lesions in the skull. Macroscopically and radiologically, erosion at the anterior superior angle of fifth lumbar vertebra was observed. This lesion agrees with Pedro Pons’ sign and matches with brucella spondylitis. The presence of Pedro Pons’ sign indicates that the individual suffered from brucellosis for more than three weeks. The sacral vertebrae did not showed any injuries (AU)