The working life of Museum of London

Many of the skeletons excavated at archaeological sites include the bones of those aged less than eighteen years of age at death. The buried population of the Catholic mission of St Mary and St Michael, Lukin Street, East London included over 400 child skeletons.  The majority of these children were aged between one and five years when they died suggesting a low chance of survival into adulthood for those inflicted by disease. 

This cemetery revealed individuals buried in wooden coffins, placed into deep graves with many stacked on top of each other.  The recovered skeletons were found to be very well preserved.  The good condition of these burials enabled bone changes to be seen that are often lost through erosion or damage over time when buried in the ground. This provided an important opportunity to see what life was like for children growing up in the Victorian era, the hardships they faced and illnesses suffered.

 A large proportion of the children recorded displayed signs of metabolic disorders. These can be caused by malnutrition and deficiencies in diet that can affect growth and prevent the development of strong and healthy bones.

 Seventy eight (11:1%) of the child skeletons showed signs of active rickets caused by a lack of vitamin D within the body that is normally obtained through exposure to sunlight and a healthy diet. Deficiency of vitamin D can result in weakened bones that become bowed as they are unable to support the bodies weight. The bone changes observed included areas of pitting to the surfaces of the skull, bent and deformed arms and legs with thick, widened ends and ribs that flared out towards the ends. 

Another disease observed in the child population was scurvy, caused by a lack of vitamin C in the diet. Once the scourge of sailors on long sea voyages, a poor diet lacking in fresh fruit and vegetables can lead to vitamin C deficiency. This can result in bleeding into the skin and tissues surrounding the bones and tooth sockets and lead to impaired bone growth. Bone changes for this condition were recorded in forty two (6%) of children, these included porosity and pitting to regions of the skull and roof of the eye sockets and new bone formation to the surfaces of the long bones.

Diseases such as these would have thrived in the smog filled air, poorly sanitised and over crowded living conditions of 19th century London. The fast growing population living in poor conditions often with limited access to water, fresh food or waste disposal created an environment where infectious disease was common and many sick children may have been kept indoors away from the important sunlight. Swaddling, the practice of wrapping infants in tightly fitting blankets in order to restrict movement and malnourished mothers feeding their children with deficient milk may have also played a role.

Recently, a resurgence of these diseases amongst children has been reported. The knowledge gained from the bones of those afflicted in the past can help us to better understand the causes of such conditions and promote awareness of the recurrence in the modern world.