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Harris lines: A study of age‐associated bias in countingand interpretation
Author(s) -
GrolleauRaoux JeanLouis,
Crubézy Eric,
Rougé Daniel,
Brugne JeanFranĉois,
Saunders Shelley R.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
american journal of physical anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1096-8644
pISSN - 0002-9483
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-8644(199706)103:2<209::aid-ajpa6>3.0.co;2-o
Subject(s) - observer (physics) , paleopathology , tibia , orthodontics , medicine , surgery , pathology , physics , quantum mechanics
Harris lines are regularly used in paleopathology as indicators of episodic nonspecific stress, but the methodology for their use has not been clearly established. We studied radiographs of the distal shaft of the tibia in 82 immature and 49 mature subjects from a medieval burial site and compared the number of Harris lines and observer error according to age categories. We found statistically significant differences in both line counts and in observer error by age groups. In conclusion, studies of Harris lines must take into account age variation in order to be validated. Am J Phys Anthropol 103: 209–217, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.