From the gallows to the grave - investigating the cause of death of seven skeletons from Renaissance Odense.

In 1982, archaeologists recovered seven skeletons at the site of Søndergade, OBM8230 in Odense, Denmark. The skeletons were isolated burials outside of cemetery context. This article examines the osteological and historical data of these seven skeletons and their burial location with the aim of examining the circumstances of their deaths.

Impact of urbanization on tuberculosis and leprosy prevalence in medieval Denmark.

The consequences of urbanization, such as increased exposure to pathogens, have long been considered detrimental to human health. During the first half of the Danish medieval period, towns were established and throughout the period population increased. The following study analyzes the relationship between urbanization and disease frequency - specifically leprosy and tuberculosis - in four skeletal samples from medieval Denmark using a paleoepidemiological approach.

The effect of leprotic infection on the risk of death in medieval rural Denmark.

Introduction: Paleopathological studies of leprosy in Danish skeletal collections show that many individuals suffered from this stigmatized disease during the Middle Ages. This study examines the risk of death associated with leprotic infection in individuals from the Danish rural cemetery of Øm Kloster (AD 1172-1536). Specifically, we modeled the influence of leprotic infection on age-specific mortality accounting also for sex and social status (lay person / monastic).