A Disease Without History? Evidence for the Antiquity of Head and Neck Cancers

摘要: There has been a long-running debate in anthropological, archaeological, and medical literature regarding the prevalence of cancer various ancient human populations. At one extreme, some scholars have claimed that past societies had rates roughly equivalent to those seen among modern peoples; at other researchers effectively is disease modernity. The present study aims shed further light on this topic, least insofar as cancers head neck are concerned. A review art, texts, paleopathological reports revealed somewhat discordant accounts age, geographical distribution, cancers. While representations these neoplastic conditions art relatively rare patchy geographic descriptions suspect lesions texts rather more widespread, if unevenly distributed geographically, record was found contain surprisingly abundant evidence for neck, especially compared what are, societies, ubiquitous breast, lung, or prostate. establishing absolute any antiquity impossible, work establishes long present, perhaps even prevalent, societies.