HARRIS LINES - A STUDY OF AGE-ASSOCIATED BIAS IN COUNTING AND INTERPRETATION

Harris lines are regularly used in paleopathology as indicators of epi sodic nonspecific stress, but the methodology for their use has not be en clearly established. We studied radiographs of the distal shaft of the tibia in 82 immature and 49 mature subjects from a medieval burial site and compared the number of Harris lines and observer error accor ding to age categories. We found statistically significant differences in both line counts and in observer error by age groups. In conclusio n, studies of Harris lines must take into account age variation in ord er to be validated. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.