Theses and Dissertations
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0450-9045
Advisor
Zuckerman, Molly K.
Committee Member
Osterholtz, Anna J.
Committee Member
Goliath, Jesse R.
Date of Degree
12-12-2025
Original embargo terms
Immediate Worldwide Access
Document Type
Graduate Thesis - Open Access
Major
Applied Anthropology
Degree Name
Master of Arts (M.A.)
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures
Abstract
This study employed modified versions of the Bioarchaeology of Care (BoC) and the Index of Care (IoC) to assess signs of impairment, disability, and health-related caretaking within a sample of 15 individuals buried in the Asylum Hill Cemetery who were likely former patients at the Mississippi State Asylum (MSA). This aim is to explore perceptions of disability and health-related caretaking needs through a combination of skeletal evidence and historical documents. Twelve individuals likely experienced physical impairment and potentially disability through participation restrictions. Six individuals likely required health-related caretaking, and healing lesions suggest they may have received care while at the MSA. The specific skeletal changes, and the possible impairments, disability, and health-related caretaking needs are discussed for each individual, alongside a discussion of the limits of the study and recommendations for future research.
Recommended Citation
Willis, Hannah D., "The Bioarchaeology of Care in an asylum population: studying health-related caretaking in the Mississippi State Asylum" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 6776.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/6776
