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12 - ‘Absence of Evidence Is Not Evidence of Absence’

Why Is There a Lack of Evidence for Cardiovascular Disease in the Bioarchaeological Record?

from Part II - Cardiovascular Diseases Associated with Human Skeletal Remains

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2023

By
Michaela Binder  and
Charlotte A. Roberts
Edited by
Michaela Binder ,
Charlotte A. Roberts  and
Daniel Antoine
Michaela Binder
Affiliation:
Novetus GmbH Archaeological Services
Charlotte A. Roberts
Affiliation:
Durham University
Daniel Antoine
Affiliation:
British Museum, London
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Summary

Over the past few years, bioarchaeological research in combination with genetic as well as contextual evidence has been challenging the misconception that cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a problem of modern life and living conditions (Thompson et al., 2013; Binder & Roberts, 2014; and chapters in this volume). However, the evidence for CVDs in the past has so far been largely confined to mummified human remains. The preservation of their soft tissues maintains the pathological evidence linked to CVD, including calcifications, in its original location within the blood vessels in which they developed.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Bioarchaeology of Cardiovascular Disease , pp. 214 - 226
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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