Nonhuman Remains from the Winchester Anatomized Site, Massachusetts

Abstract

The present research examined the nonhuman skeletal remains associated with anatomized human skeletal remains from a burial site in Winchester, Massachusetts. Other sites have indicated the use of animals for anatomical teaching, including remains found at the anatomized sites of Holden Chapel, Point San Jose, Ashmolean Museum, London Hospital Burial, and Medical College of Georgia. The nonhuman assemblage consisted of 1444 nonhuman remains, making up 9.5% of the total identified Winchester Site skeletal assemblage. The nonhuman assemblage had a total minimum number of individuals (MNI) of 40, including invertebrates. The most represented species were dog (Canis familiaris), cat (Felis catus), and brown rat (Rattus norvegicus). The assemblage also included cattle (Bos taurus), pig (Sus scrofa), sheep/goat (Ovis aries/Capra hircus), macaque (Macaca sp.), European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), chicken (Gallus gallus), turtle (Testudines), and oyster (Crassostrea sp.). Taphonomic effects from the burial included green copper oxide staining, brown soil staining, and adhering plant roots, and sharp-force trauma (sawing) was present on 1.1% of the remains. The identified species were in some cases likely food remains, with macaque, turtle, cat, and dog likely used for comparative anatomy training. Unknown human remains from anatomized sites can come into the medicolegal system through accidental discovery, and forensic anthropologists must be able to determine their origin through a variety of analyses, including the examination of any accompanying nonhuman remains that also may have been used for anatomical training.