Meeting entitled "Written in Bone: The Use of History and Anthropology for Investigating Medicine, Disease and Biology in Past Societies. Session to be held at 8th annual BABAO meeting. (360G-Wellcome-079372_Z_06_Z)

Written in Bone: The Use of History and Anthropology for Investigating Medicine, Disease and Biology in Past Societies. Session to be held at 8th annual BABAO meeting. Combining data from anthropology and history may provide new insights into medical treatment, health, disease and the biology of past societies. When used in combination these two disciplines have the potential both to complement each other's strengths and compensate for each other's limitations. However, very anthropologists undertaking studies of human skeletal remains have made a conscious effort to integrate their results with evidence derived from written sources. Whilst the increased numbers of post medieval skeletons analysed in recent years has prompted some British anthropologists to consider the information that can be obtained from historical sources, these developments could be criticised for lacking focus and failing to have a common goal. Two speakers will be invited: Dr Piers Mitchell of Imperial College and Dr Ann Herring of McMaster University, Canada (both have agreed to speak in this session). Dr Mitchell is the most prominent British academic who has published widely on both medical and anthropological aspects of the history of medicine, and Dr Herring is a leading international scholar in these fields. The participation of both these speakers would attract significant interest in this session. Both speakers will be asked to present work on how anthropological and historical data have been combined to further research relating to the history of medicine. Abstracts for the other podium presentation and the linked poster session will be accepted on any topic within the broader remit outlined above, but preference will be given to papers dealing with aspects of the history of medicine, especially for podium presentations.