Avances y retos en la determinación de la salud de poblaciones antiguas a partir de restos esqueléticos

Abstract

Health studies in ancient populations is a very complex field. Many years passed by before anthropologists showed concern to know about health in ancient populations, and paleopathological studies of skeletal remains shifted from the traditional clinic orientation of individual cases to population and procesual analysis. The publication of very important controversial works originated a long debate and years of research and impulse in paleoepidemiology and paleodemography. Nevertheless, one of the crucial and basic problems still remaining is a lack of standardization of methods, values and results. It is very necessary to deal with these topics, otherwise we will again be condemned to stagnation, placing doubt in the veracity of our conclusions and not allowing our research to reach the level of knowledge they deserve in the scientific realm.