Skip to main content
Log in

A likely cranial osteodystrophy (Paget’s disease of bone) in a Precolumbian, Mesoamerican stone sculpture

  • Endocrinology & Art
  • Published:
Journal of Endocrinological Investigation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This short note illustrates facial and head features found in a stone sculpture of the ancient, Precolumbian period in a temple of the Mayan city of Copan (Honduras). The authors believe that this observation may support paleoanthropological evidence of Paget’s disease of bone, an osteodystrophy described in the Mesoamerican Indian populations before the first millennium A.D.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

References

  1. von Schwerin J (2011) The sacred mountain in social context. Symbolism and history in Maya architecture: temple 22 at Copan, Honduras. Anc Mesoam 22:271–300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Knaggs LR (1923) Leontiasis ossea. Brit J Surg 11:347–379

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Salfi N, Gallo C, Azzarito G, Scarani P (1996) Malpighi anatomopatologo. Una testimonianza dal museo Taruffi di Bologna. Pathologica 88:324–326

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Saul FP, Christoforidis AJ, Saul JM, Cook DC, Benítez JT (1981) The antiquity of Paget’s disease in the Maya area. In: Cockburn E (ed) Papers on paleopathology. Abstracts Annual Meeting of the Paleopathology Association, Detroit, p D3

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to R. Toni.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

The research did not involve human participants and/or animals.

Informed consent

Written informed consent was obtained from all patients prior to inclusion into the study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Toni, R., Ceglia, L. A likely cranial osteodystrophy (Paget’s disease of bone) in a Precolumbian, Mesoamerican stone sculpture. J Endocrinol Invest 40, 787–788 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-017-0612-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-017-0612-3

Keywords

Navigation