occurrence of degenerative joint disease in the radius: analysis

Minimum Number of Individuals
CHAPTER 3
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The total number of specimens in my collection for study is
881, including 83 whole radii, 293 proximal ends, 240 distal
ends, and 265 radial shafts. There are ten complete juvenile
bones, 47 proximal ends, 43 distal ends, and 22 radial shafts.
Fifteen juvenile radial epiphyses are also present, for a total
of 139 juvenile specimens. Juvenile radial bones were classified
as such and separated according to epiphyseal fusion of the head
and distal aspects of the radius (Buikstra and Ubelaker, 1994).
Typically, the proximal epiphysis fuses to the shaft around age
seventeen or eighteen. The distal epiphysis fuses to the shaft
around age twenty (Gray, 1974).
Determination of the minimum number of individuals (MNI)
was based on four aspects of the radius including the presence
or absence of the radial head, nutrient foramen, distal facet,
and ulnar notch. At least 51% of each feature was required to
be present in order to be included as a distinct individual.
Totals were figured for both left and right sides based on these
four features. The most represented feature was the nutrient
foramen of the left radius, and from this the MNI was determined
to be 205 (Table 3.1). Due to the small number of juvenile whole
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