protuberance (Ellis and Ford 1876). ... (Ellis 1840) possibly guided by a metal brace clamp (Mitchell et al 2011). ... New York: William Wood & Company. Mitchell ...
Cranial autopsies at the Queen’s Chapel Savoy (London) Ponce,
1 Paola ,
1Archaeology
Dittmar,
2 Jenna ,
Grant,
1 Kathryn
South-East, UCL 2University of Cambridge
INTRODUCTION
CEMETERY BACKGROUND
Autopsies are believed to have been introduced into England during the 17th century. During the 18th and 19th centuries the main reason for their practice was to determine the cause of death of an individual in both medical and judicial contexts. In archaeology, the most common osteological evidence of autopsy is the opening of the cranium to examine the brain, this procedure is called a craniotomy. Craniotomies were performed by making a circumferential incision through the scalp with a knife, approximately 2.5 cm above the supra orbital ridge and close above the occipital protuberance (Ellis and Ford 1876). The skull was then sawn in the line of the incision (Ellis 1840) possibly guided by a metal brace clamp (Mitchell et al 2011). According to Ellis (1840) after the outer table was divided, a chisel and mallet were used to cut through the inner table, thus exposing the brain (Ellis 1840). The objective of this paper is to report on six individuals that presented with craniotomies, and to identify the technique and tools used to perform such procedure.
In 2011, Archaeology South-East (ASE) was commissioned to undertake an archaeological excavation at Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy, Savoy Street, City of Westminster, London (Fig 1). 612 skeletons dating between 1552 and 1853 were recovered from the chapel yard associated with the medieval and post-medieval Savoy Hospital. Along with the hospital inmates, the bodies of criminals who had been hanged in Middlesex, Sussex and Essex and then used for demonstrations in practical dissections were buried there (Somerville 1960). Six of 612 skeletons (SK205, SK313, SK445, SK648, SK1508, SK 1804) presented cranial autopsies (Fig 2).
Fig1: Location of the site
Fig2: Location of the six individuals
THE AUTOPSIED SKULLS The sample consisted of 4 adult males (SK205, SK313, SK445, SK648), 1 adult female (SK1804) and 1 infant (SK1508) (Figs 3-8).
Fig3 SK205 18
