Incidence and distribution of postcranial fractures in the prehistoric population of San Pedro de Atacama,northern Chile

Trauma incidence analysis in skeletal populations has been very popular among skeletal biologists during the last two decades. In this context, the work of Lovejoy and Heiple (1981] Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 55:529–541) has been quoted as a landmark because their analysis rested on a populational approach, avoiding simple assumptions about cause and etiology. In this study, we apply to the prehistoric population of San Pedro de Atacama, northern Chile, an approach similar to that carried out by Lovejoy and Heiple (1981). The results obtained point to a peak of risk of fractures among old people, estimated age around 45 years. The distribution of fractures by sex and age suggests that the prevailing etiology is related to accidents and not violence. When the frequencies of fractures are compared, the Libben population shows a much higher incidence than the Atacamenean population. It is suggested that this difference can be explained by peculiarities of the subsistence economies of the two populations. Am J Phys Anthropol 109:253–258, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.