ABSTRACT
The examination of human remains has given me – and gives to many others – a great deal of satisfaction, and that in itself is sufficient reason to pursue it. There is a greater source of satisfaction, however, in knowing that, to whatever small degree, one is adding to the knowledge of and understanding of our ancestors; we might also on some – admittedly rather rare occasions – be able to contribute to the understanding of the natural history of disease, and this may have relevance to those who study disease only in a modern context. If we intend our study to have the latter purpose, more stringent criteria are required in the interpretation and presentation of our observations, and one hopes that the ideas set out in this book will go some way toward achieving these ends.
