A disabling injury reveals interpersonal care among hunter-gatherers in Patagonia

Abstract

This study discusses the biological and social implications of a disabling injury suffered by a Late Holocene hunter-gatherer from Northeastern Patagonia. Osseous modifications were analysed through macroscopy, radiography, computed tomography, and three-dimensional models. The differential diagnoses followed bioarchaeological and modern clinical literature, and the overall case was interpreted within the Bioarchaeology of Care theoretical framework. The individual presented a healed fracture of the lateral tibial plateau, a highly disabling injury of the inferior limb, which constrained its locomotion and could have caused new demands on other parts of the body. The restricted mobility produced by this type of fracture and the state of remodelling imply that the individual received different levels of interpersonal attention throughout the progression of the healing process. The model of care for this individual recognizes at least a stage of “direct support” for basic tasks in the short-/medium-term and then “accommodation assistance” in the long-term while he became more autonomous. Apart from thoroughly describing an infrequent injury, this study case provides clear evidence of interpersonal care strategies among Patagonian hunter-gatherers.