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highcr than in tcnperalc climates for the simplc reason that pcople drink nore
watcr in Bahrain whcre the average anual tempcrature is 76 degrees F. and
summcr tcmpcraturcs ececd 100 dcgrccs F. (Mattcr, 1987). Given this ncw
information, thc nos١ prefcrablc level of fluoride in the natural water in Bahrain
can be calculated to 0.54 ppm which is half the level found in certain water wells
(Matcr, 1987). hcrcfore, it is likely that the high frequency of fluorosis cases
found in the archacological records is a result of the excessive amount of water
consumed rather than the high levels of fluoride in the natural water supplies. Also,
it may be evidcnt that fluorosis will continue to be a problem for modern citizens of
Bahrain although the present mixing of well water with distilled water has
significantly decreased fluoride intake.

In concluding ' this report, it may be helpful to emphasize several factors of
scientific and scholarly importance that are illustrated in the study of human
paleopathology and, specifically, the report on this case of fluorosis. Paleopatholo­
gy provides historical and archaeological perspectives on the presence and effect of
disease in human societies. Furthermore, even with all the latest technology
available to physicians today, there are many aspects of skeletal disease that are
only marginally accessible for study and research by clinical methods. Practical, as
well as technical, limits on the use of x-ray technology, for example, limit the
scientist's ability to study the distribution of pathological conditions in the entire
skeleton. Museum skeletal collections such as those at the Smithsonian Institution
are often used by medical specialists to study the effect of disease on the human
skeleton. his also means that continuing excavation and study of burials, like that
being done in Bahrain, can add much to what we know about the culture and
biology of people living in ancient times. Such research can also clarify.problems
confronting modern medical practice and forensic sciences.

A further bonus of paleopathological research is the occasional insight that one
obtains regarding the culture of people living in ancient times. With information on
when mortality occurs in a sample of human skeletons, for example, we gain
understanding about the health of a given community. As the Archaeologist adds
information on the ancient culture, we have the opportunity to look for
relationships between cultural and biological data. For example, is cultural
evidence of social decline associated with reduced health and shortened life span?
he problems are numerous and as we solve some of them we recreate for
ourselves something of the past and our own lives are richer for this information.

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