Human paleopathology has the potential of enriching what we can reconstructabout the lives of our recent and ancient ancestors. The development of remarkably sensitiveanalytical methods in chemistry and physics provides information that is still in the earlystages of being used in research about human paleopathology. Research on mummy and skel-etal tissues, both gross and histological, has vastly improved from the early studies in paleo-pathology. There are, however, nagging issues that have been identified as scientists attemptto conduct new research and interpret the research being done. These include the need for agreater emphasis on rigor in diagnosis of skeletal and soft tissue abnormalities; the establish-ment of additional research centers that recover and curate large, carefully documentedarchaeological samples of human remains; better integration between the medical fields oforthopaedic pathology and skeletal radiology with paleopathology; and improved design inthe research conducted.
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