Evidence for Antemortem and Perimortem Trauma among Single Individuals Recovered from the 2013 Milwaukee County Institution

Poor Farm Cemetery Excavations

David M. StrangeUniversity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

80th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, San Francisco, 15-19 April 2015.

Symposium: People that no one had use for, had nothing to give to, no place to offer: The Milwaukee County Institution Grounds Poor Farm Cemetery

Context of Milwaukee County Institutional Grounds

• The portion of the cemetery excavated in 2013 was in active use 1882-1925

• Roughly 10,000 immigrants flood the American workforce during the burgeoning Industrial Age seeking new opportunities

• Poverty, Sickness, and Death were characteristics acquired AFTER coming to the United States

Antemortem versus Perimortem Fractures

Fracture of the left zygomatic with evidence for healing

Gunshot fracture of the right parietal without evidence for healing

Photo Credit: Sean P. Dougherty 2011

  Indeterminate Age

Young Adult Middle Adult Old Adult

Indeterminate Sex

16 4 14 7

Male 14 8 57 31Probable Male

16 13 41 18

Female 3 1 12 6Probable Female

13 4 12 4

Single Adults Recovered in Single Burial Contexts

Age and Sex Profile of Entire Sample

Frequency of Antemortem Fractures

  Number of Individuals

Number of Individuals with Antemortem Injuries

Percent of Age/Sex Category with Antemortem Fractures

Percent of Total Sex Category with Antemortem Fractures

Young Adult Male

21 3 14% 2%

Middle Adult Male

98 30 31% 15%

Old Adult Male

49 18 37% 9%

Adult Male 30 6 20% 3%Young Adult Female

5 0 0% 0%

Middle Adult Female

24 4 17% 7%

Old Adult Female

10 1 10% 2%

Adult Female 16 4 25% 7%Indeterminate Young Adult

4 0 0% 0%

Indeterminate Middle Adult

14 2 14% 5%

Indeterminate Old Adult

7 2 29% 5%

Indeterminate Adult

16 3 19% 7%

Total 294 73 - -

Distribution of Antemortem Fractures

Element/ Age Category

Male Young Adult

Male Middle Adult

Male Old Adult

Indeterminate Adult Male

Scapula   3    Cranium 1 4 4  Ulna 1 2 1  Femur 1 2 1 1Radius   3 2  Ribs   10 9 2Clavicle   4 2  Tibia   4 1  Hand   6 2 1Foot   3 2 1Innominate   1    Humerus     1 1Fibula   1 1  Patella   1    

Age Category

Cranium Femur Hand Ribs Foot

Female Young Adult

         

Female Middle Adult

1 0 1 2  

Female Old Adult

1        

Indeterminate Adult Female

1 1   2 1

Male

Female

Frequency of Perimortem Fractures

  Number of Individuals

Number of Individuals with Perimortem Fractures

Percent of Age/Sex Category with Perimortem Fractures

Percent of Total Sex Category with Perimortem Fractures

Young Adult Male

21 4 19% 2%

Middle Adult Male

98 7 7% 4%

Old Adult Male

49 2 4% 1%

Adult Male 30 2 7% 1%Young Adult Female

5 0 0% 0%

Middle Adult Female

24 1 4% 2%

Old Adult Female

10 0 0% 0%

Adult Female 16 1 6% 2%Indeterminate Young Adult

4 1 25% 2%

Indeterminate Middle Adult

14 0 0% 0%

Indeterminate Old Adult

7 1 14% 2%

Indeterminate Adult

16 0 0% 0%

Total 294 19 - -

Distribution of Perimortem Fractures

Element/ Age Category

Male Young Adult

Male Middle Adult

Male Old Adult

Indeterminate Adult Male

Cranium 2 1   1Femur 3 3    Radius   1    Ribs     1  Tibia 1 1 1 1Humerus   1    Fibula 1 1 1 1

Males

Females Age Category/Element

Female Young Adult

Female Middle Adult

Female Old Adult

Indeterminate Adult Female

Cranium       1Scapula       1Humerus       1Ulna   1   1Radius       1Tibia   1    Fibula   1    Femur        

Trends and Future Research

• Chi-square tests of statistical significance regarding interpopulation and intrapopulation comparisons

• Tabulation of the number of fractures

• Classification of fractures into blunt, sharp, and projectile trauma types

• Results are similar to the analysis of the 1991-92 excavations without the inclusion of postmortem trauma

• Distribution of fractures prevalent on the postcranial skeleton

• High frequencies of fractures among the male population

Acknowledgements

My involvement in the MCIG Cemetery Project and this subsequent research would not be possible without the support and encouragement of the following individuals:

Dr. Patricia B. Richards

Catherine R. Jones

Emily Mueller Epstein

Eric B. Burant

As well as the entire MCIG field and lab crews

Thank you.