Asymptomatic Osseous Variations of the Postcranial Human Skeleton

Book excerpt: Since ancient times, asymptomatic bone variations have been studied in many different disciplines. In radiology, for example, they enable the differentiation of the typical from the anomalous, but in biological anthropology they are especially useful in answering questions about humans and their diachronic and synchronic variability. This book provides an easily accessible presentation of the osseous variations of the postcranial skeleton (from the spine to the feet), which are sometimes poorly understood by the scientific community. These variations are examined one by one, with definitions, population frequencies and complete illustrations given for each. Asymptomatic Osseous Variations of the Postcranial Human Skeleton is intended as a comprehensive reference manual for further research on these types of skeletal variations.