The passion of a physical antropologist

 

Joyce Couwenberg

 

Studying centuries-old skeletons in Suriname, identifying decayed bodies in Kosovo and Thailand: it seems like everyday work for this physical anthropologist. But what fascinates him? And where does modern medicine fit in?An interview with Professor George Maat.

 

As a physical anthropologist, Professor George Maat studies bodies and skeletons with the utmost respect. Feeling that every body has a story to tell, he is fascinated by his work. Today, the scientist is one of the most respected physical anthropologists of his country, Holland. His work has taken him all over the world; from Suriname and Spitsbergen to Kosovo and - more recently - Thailand. His job is his passion. And yet, he had never planned on becoming a physical anthropologist. It all started when he was asked to set up the anatomy department at the University of Suriname. "The request had seemed challenging to me," says George Maat, "so in 1974 I left for Suriname with a colleague. It was my first real contact with the field of physical anthropology and it immediately sparked my enthusiasm, having both medical aspects and historical aspects. When I returned to the Netherlands in 1977, I knew I wanted to stay with anatomy." 

 

 

Ancient disease

His first experience in Suriname was a private excavation of pre-Columbian Indians. The study was later expanded to include the excavation of eighteenth and nineteenth century slaves. "This study would provide information about the slaves that had never before been gathered. There were many stories and theories about the lifestyle of these people and our study would be able to actually test the existing theories." Information about the slaves was compared to that of the pre-Columbian Indians. Maat: "Both populations lived in the same environment, but they had different genetics and different social orientations. By comparing the two populations we could obtain information about the influences of lifestyle on health and life expectancy. It turned out that the slaves had suffered far more infectious diseases, because they were forced to live so close together. However, in spite of their circumstances, the life expectancy of these eighteenth and nineteenth century slaves did not vary from the life expectancy of the Dutch population during that time. In those centuries Dutch people did not live in a healthy environment." "One may ask what use this kind of research has for modern medicine," says Maat. "Well, looking at ancient diseases in bones of people that have died centuries ago may still help doctors fight diseases which occur today.The pathology of diseases usually stays the same. Therefore, information about a disease that we have managed to cure may still provide us with new ways to attack our own illnesses. Besides, physical anthropology can provide us a wide range of information as we saw in Suriname. It can be used to clarify the circumstances in which people lived during those days," concludes Maat.

 

 

 

X-rays

In 1980 Maat joined an expedition to Spitsbergen to learn more about the life of whalers of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). "Their expedition has never been thoroughly studied. I had questions when I started: who went on these expeditions and what happened to them? We found that many young and old men were part of the group of whalers. That makes sense since they would have provided cheap labour, although they were not particularly fit to handle the rough circumstances. Unfortunately, many sailors died of scurvy in those centuries due to lack of vitamin C. Seeing the skeletons of the whalers, we could finally fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge about that period." This particular expedition has provided more accurate medical knowledge on scurvy. Maat: "After examining the bodies with x-rays and having a closer look at the bones of the whalers, we came to the conclusion that approximately eighty percent of the whalers had died of scurvy. We had always assumed that the bleeding that occurs when someone has scurvy comes from the arteries in the periosteum. In fact, we found that the blood was coming from the bone marrow."

 

Unrecognisable

To study the bones properly, a new technique was invented to prepare the bones for microscopic examination. This technique is now being used in modern medicine to determine the age of a body as an alternative for techniques that demand the bones be decalcified before use. Spitsbergen did not only lead to new techniques. Maat: "After my return, a woman was dying from severe bleeding in the abdomen and along her bones. Nobody could find

what was wrong with her. It turned out to be scurvy. Our study and the information the skeletons of the eighteenth century whalers had provided, made it possible for a physician to make the diagnosis and begin treatment. A fine example of how old diseases can help modern medicine." Physical anthropologists not only look at bodies of people who died a long time ago. The expertise of physical anthropologists can also be used to help identify mutilated or decayed bodies; a substantial part of their work these days. Maat: "We use our medical techniques to determine the age, sex and, when possible, the identity of the body." As one of the few experts in his field, George Maat works with the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) on a regular basis. "Dutch people feel relatively safe in their country, but they might not feel that way if they saw what we see. Almost twice a week our group is called in by the NFI to help identify an unrecognisable body."

 

 

Mass graves

George Maat not only uses his expertise in the Netherlands. Countries that have been struck by war or disaster can count on the Netherlands and George Maat for help. After the war in Kosovo, many mass graves were discovered. It was important for the local population that the bodies were identified. Different political groups claimed that their people were buried in the mass graves. He went to Kosovo to help. "We wanted to know who had been buried in the graves and also if these people were tortured. Many relatives had gathered there and desperately wanted to have some certainty. They needed to know that their missing relatives had died." The bodies had decayed and fell apart when touched. Maat: "If you're in a situation like that, you try not to get emotionally attached. Often you don't remember the bodies, just the stories of their living relatives." All in all, it seems that George Maat never gets tired of what he does. "Physical anthropology is a very diverse profession. It can be used to benefit modern medicine, to help solve crime and to provide cultural information. I am a part of the medical world and yet I think I am more interested in the cultural part of my work. It's the stories that stay with me the most. When I was in Spitsbergen, I found an old man that had no less than eighteen old fractures. In the end he died of scurvy. I'm always marvelled by what people endure during life."

 

 

Thailand

A couple of weeks after this interview, Maat went to Thailand as a member of the disaster victim identification team (DVI/RIT) to identify people who died of a result of the tsunami. Just arrived in Thailand he was -experienced as he is- shocked at the number of bodies and the condition they were in. "It is hard to identify bodies that have decayed so much because of the intense heat. Of course, we can still use certain physical features, like pieces of clothing,the colour of a person's hair and their dental status, to identify someone. In addition, we collect DNA samples from every body. With this information it should, in time, be possible to determine who is who."