Analysis of the ceramics collection in the Larco Museum of Lima, Peru

The historical-medical and anthropological studies, regarding Mesoamerica and South America, have been mainly focused on the great empires (Inca, Atzec, Maya), while other civilizations have been less investigated and only recently are gaining interest. In general, the paleopathological research provides interesting data to know the type of nutrition and the general environmental conditions as well as to point out some ritual mutilation practices, which were relatively frequent in the pre-Columbian cultures. A lot of civilizations flourished in the South America before the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadores in the new world. In the last years it is progressively increasing the interest for the study of the Moche culture as well as for a deeper knowledge of pathocenosis of infectious diseases in the Moche society. Human infectious diseases are known to have a frequent animal origin, in particular from domesticated species, although the species domesticated in the pre-Columbian era were a small number. The purpose of our paper has been to examine the archeological findings suggestive of infectious diseases in artistic ceramic pots, dating back to the Moche period. We examined the iconography of ceramic pots belonging to the collection of the Larco Museum in Lima and reproducing body signs suggestive of infectious diseases. We identified 8 handworks with very interesting features by a medical point of view. In these handworks there are signs and lesions possibly associated with infectious diseases: risus sardonicus, orbital edema, facial nerve palsy, dorsal kyphosis, face and skin lesions. These features are compatible with some infectious diseases, including: syphilis, Bartonella bacilliformis, leishmaniasis, Pott's disease and Chagas disease. A wide discussion about these handworks is provided.

Genetic and congenital disorders in pre-Hispanic Moche pottery

The Moche were a pre-Hispanic, pre-Incan people who inhabited northwestern Peru from 50 to 850 AD and left behind a large body of ceramic artwork. We present 26 pieces from 5 museums, which seem to show individuals with malformations, minor anomalies, and possible genetic syndromes. Possible diagnoses include cleft lip and palate, ocular anomalies such as hypertelorism and orbital dystopia, oligo- and polydactyly, conjoined twinning, clubfoot, Down syndrome, Crouzon syndrome, and Seckel syndrome. These ceramic portraits suggest that these people with received a certain respect or even elevated status within their society.

A rare case of os odontoideum from an Early Intermediate period tomb at the Huacas de Moche, Peru

Os odontoideum is an uncommon vertebral anomaly where there is a smoothly corticated ossicle independent from a shortened odontoid peg. An example of os odontoideum was observed in an Early Intermediate period skeleton excavated from the Huacas de Moche (Moche IV, AD 400-700), Peru. The affected individual is a middle adult male who presents additional minor developmental anomalies of the axial skeleton. This individual was interred with a middle adult female who also has developmental anomalies of the axial skeleton, including block cervical vertebra (Klippel-Feil). Os odontoideum is infrequently reported in the medical literature and there continues to be debate about whether it is acquired or congenital. Unlike clinical cases, archaeological cases present an opportunity to examine the entirety of the skeleton. In the present case, there does not appear to be macroscopic or radiographic evidence for a healed fracture, and since the individual has multiple minor axial developmental anomalies, a congenital etiology is plausible. This case is the first to be described from the archaeological context of South America and one of few paleopathological examples worldwide.