Thinking Together About Medieval Disability
4 April - 30 May 2025
The Wardlaw Museum Research Studio
University of St Andrews
ELS 215 - An Archive Written in Bone
In 1968, archaeologist David Baker and his student team excavated the remains of ELS215 from a trench northeast of the apse of the abbey church. Osteological analysis of the skeleton has determined that this individual was female and died between the ages of 40 and 55.
​Photo courtesy of David Baker, showing the excavation in progress.
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Several pathologies in the skeleton show that ELS215 suffered from advanced Pott’s disease
(also known as tuberculous spondylitis), a form of tuberculosis that spreads from the lungs to
the spine via the bloodstream. As a result of this infection, nine of ELS215’s vertebrae collapsed
and fused (six thoracic and three lumbar vertebrae), resulting in a permanent curvature
(kyphosis) of over 90 degrees. Her ribs and her pelvis also show signs of the disease in their
rough, irregular surfaces.
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Photo by CATH lab, showing spine with Kyphosis.
The symptoms of Pott’s disease include fever, back and neck pain, arm and leg weakness, unexplained weight loss, lack of appetite, and issues with coordination or muscle control. CT scans conducted at the Clinical Research Centre at Ninewells Hospital show Pott’s disease caused ELS215’s spinal column to collapse, resulting in paralysis. The scans also show that she lived long enough after this collapse for bone inside the spinal column to remodel, a process in which mature bone tissue is removed from the skeleton and new bone tissue is formed. During this time, ELS215 would have lost control of her bowels and bladder, and would have needed
help with all basic functions such as eating, bathing, and movement.
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Photo by Alan Webster and Waleed Mohammed, showing CT scan of ELS215’s spine.