Causes of pediatric mortality in a medieval skeletal series

Critical episodes in the life of prehistoric children can be traced by comprehensive palaeopathological investigations of frequently occurring symptoms like criba orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis and Harris' lines, combined with the evaluation of growth curves. Among the children of a skeletal sample excavated in Schleswig (northern Germany, 11th/12th century AD), two periods of growth retardation were observed. The first one, starting between 1 and 2 years of age, is due to malnutrition already set on in the second part of the first year of life and a high morbidity at weaning age. After a catch-up growth between 6 and 7 years of age, living conditions became even worse for the 8 to 10 year old children. It is presumed that an inadequate nourishment did not fit the requirements of the prepuberal organism, especially regarding the considerable high working-burden of children in medieval times after completing their 7th year of life. The combined effect of malnutrition and diseases is responsible for the high mortality of the children in medieval Schleswig.