THURSDAY 28 September, 4 PM CET (HYBRID WEBINAR)
Dr. Kori Lea Filipek
Senior lecturer in biomedical and forensic science, University of Derby
ABSTRACT: This seminar discusses biomolecular approaches to examine the individual life histories of adolescents suffering from leprosy in Saxo-Norman England (9th – 12th centuries AD). Residential origins (strontium and oxygen isotopes) from dental enamel, whole-life dietary profiles (carbon and nitrogen isotopes) from incremental dentine and amelogenin peptide analyses are contextualised in conjunction with skeletal, historical, and clinical frameworks to examine the physiological and nutritional stresses that may have compromised leprosy immunity, the mobility histories of young leprosy sufferers, and their subsequent care and treatment until death. The findings from these lines of research help to better explore a fuller picture of the biological and social impacts of leprosy on past populations, and consequentially, present-day society at large.