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Bones: Growth Arrest Lines
The Indian Knoll community relied on hunting meat and gathering fruits and nuts and other edible plants. If the Indian Knollers couldn't find food in the winter, they likely suffered seasonal food shortages. The Hardin Village community raised corn and other agricultural crops and supplemented these products with meat. Because agricultural products could be stored, the Hardin Villagers were more likely to have a regular supply of food year-round. Procedure
Table 1: Growth Arrest Lines
* Ages and sexes are combined. Questions
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Growth arrest lines, also known as Harris lines, show up
on X-rays of long bones as traverse lines (i.e. perpendicular to the long axis
of the bone). They mark points at which the bone's growth was resumed
after it had stopped; normally long bones grow continually through childhood
until the ends fuse. But when the child is malnourished and the body does not
have enough nutrients to go around, bones stop growing. When the crisis is over
bone starts to grow again. A line forms as the bone starts to lay down mineral
material again. Therefore, growth arrest lines point to short episodes of
malnutrition—caused either by infection, poor diet, or
starvation—followed by better conditions. An individual who is
chronically ill or malnourished would probably have fewer lines than someone
who suffered repeated short episodes of disease or starvation. Table 1 shows
the number of growth arrest lines seen on the tibias of the members of the two
populations.