Selective mortality during famine and plague events in medieval London
Abstract Crisis mortality events such as disease epidemics and famines have long had major impacts on human health and demography, and clarifying variation in susceptibility to crisis mortality is crucial for enhancing our understanding of the larger-scale phenomena of human adaptation and biologica...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-13198-7 |
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| author | K. Godde Sharon N. DeWitte Julia Beaumont Brittany S. Walter Rebecca Redfern Jelena J. Bekvalac |
| author_facet | K. Godde Sharon N. DeWitte Julia Beaumont Brittany S. Walter Rebecca Redfern Jelena J. Bekvalac |
| author_sort | K. Godde |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Crisis mortality events such as disease epidemics and famines have long had major impacts on human health and demography, and clarifying variation in susceptibility to crisis mortality is crucial for enhancing our understanding of the larger-scale phenomena of human adaptation and biological variation. Previous bioarchaeological research using data from human skeletal remains has revealed variable patterns of biological, and by inference, social determinants of vulnerability to medieval famine and plague mortality. However, such previous work did not account for missing data and the potential associated biases. For this study, we apply a novel approach integrating dietary isotope, pathological, and demographic data into multinomial logistic regression analyses of mortality differentials during famine and plague events in medieval London, while controlling for missing data. The results suggest higher risks of famine and plague mortality for males and for individuals previously exposed to stressors, and higher risks of plague (but not famine) mortality for older adults. Further, we find evidence that protein-rich diets were protective against famine and plague mortality. Our findings highlight how various biological and social factors shaped risks of mortality in medieval London, even in the context of major mortality crises, which are often assumed to be indiscriminate in nature. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-db0fa90c3c5c40228c7d3b94c540081f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-db0fa90c3c5c40228c7d3b94c540081f2025-08-20T03:46:08ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115111210.1038/s41598-025-13198-7Selective mortality during famine and plague events in medieval LondonK. Godde0Sharon N. DeWitte1Julia Beaumont2Brittany S. Walter3Rebecca Redfern4Jelena J. Bekvalac5School of HESBS, Moreno Valley CollegeInstitute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado BoulderSchool of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences, University of BradfordDepartment of Defense, Defense POW/MIA Accounting AgencyLondon MuseumLondon MuseumAbstract Crisis mortality events such as disease epidemics and famines have long had major impacts on human health and demography, and clarifying variation in susceptibility to crisis mortality is crucial for enhancing our understanding of the larger-scale phenomena of human adaptation and biological variation. Previous bioarchaeological research using data from human skeletal remains has revealed variable patterns of biological, and by inference, social determinants of vulnerability to medieval famine and plague mortality. However, such previous work did not account for missing data and the potential associated biases. For this study, we apply a novel approach integrating dietary isotope, pathological, and demographic data into multinomial logistic regression analyses of mortality differentials during famine and plague events in medieval London, while controlling for missing data. The results suggest higher risks of famine and plague mortality for males and for individuals previously exposed to stressors, and higher risks of plague (but not famine) mortality for older adults. Further, we find evidence that protein-rich diets were protective against famine and plague mortality. Our findings highlight how various biological and social factors shaped risks of mortality in medieval London, even in the context of major mortality crises, which are often assumed to be indiscriminate in nature.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-13198-7DemographyFrailtyImputationStable isotopesCrisis mortality |
| spellingShingle | K. Godde Sharon N. DeWitte Julia Beaumont Brittany S. Walter Rebecca Redfern Jelena J. Bekvalac Selective mortality during famine and plague events in medieval London Scientific Reports Demography Frailty Imputation Stable isotopes Crisis mortality |
| title | Selective mortality during famine and plague events in medieval London |
| title_full | Selective mortality during famine and plague events in medieval London |
| title_fullStr | Selective mortality during famine and plague events in medieval London |
| title_full_unstemmed | Selective mortality during famine and plague events in medieval London |
| title_short | Selective mortality during famine and plague events in medieval London |
| title_sort | selective mortality during famine and plague events in medieval london |
| topic | Demography Frailty Imputation Stable isotopes Crisis mortality |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-13198-7 |
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