The goal of this research is to create the first hard tissue data bank of sub-Saharan Africans of known life history for comparative regional human mineralized tissue biology research. Skeletal samples will derive from individuals of the University of Malawi College of Medicine (UMCOM; Blantyre, Malawi) gross anatomy cadaver collection. This tissue bank will complement and be compared to that of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM; Melbourne, Australia) derived of people of European origin. A pilot sample from 10 individuals will include the upper and lower leg, foot, upper and lower arm, hand, vertebral column, rib cage, and lower jaw. It is one specific aim to collect bone and tooth samples from individuals for whom the next of kin have provided unparalleled life history details anticipated to affect skeletal structure (e.g. age, sex, height, weight, occupation, major illnesses, parity, etc.). It is another aim to provide the first high-resolution comparison of tissue property differences between African and European regional human populations. It is expected that UMCOM mineralization densities will be lower compared to age/sex-matched VIFM individuals due to low dietary calcium intake. Compared to the high variability observed for VIFM urban folk, UMCOM individuals are expected to have a more distinct pattern of femoral collagen fiber orientation relating to higher average lifetime workloads; recorded occupational history for UMCOM individuals will facilitate this study. Dental histology is expected to provide an indication of the health status UMCOM individual for comparing to recorded life history details and bone composition.
