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Recent technological advances have broadened the application of palaeoradiology for non-destructive investigation of ancient remains. X-ray microtomography (microCT) in particular is increasingly used as an alternative to histological bone sections for interpreting pathological alterations, trauma, microstructure, and, more recently, bioerosion with direct or ancillary use of histological indices. However, no systematic attempt has been made to confirm the reliability of microCT for histotaphonomic analysis of archaeological bone. The objective of this study is therefore to compare thin sections of human femora rated with the Oxford Histological Index to microCT sections using the newly developed Virtual Histological Index in order to provide an accessible methodology for the evaluation of bioerosion in archaeological bone. We provide detailed descriptions of virtual sections and assess the efficacy of the method on cranial and postcranial elements, cremated long bones, and faunal samples. The traditional histological and virtual methods showed a strong correlation, providing the first systematic data substantiating lab-based microCT as a suitable alternative tool for reconstructing post-mortem history in the archaeological record, and for the reliable, non-destructive screening of samples for further analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since William Baers first publication about the use of fly larvae in the treatment of wounds in the year 1931 more than hundred papers have been published about this topic. However, little is known about the first observations that finally led to the widespread use of this technique. The current paper reviews the historic background of the utilization of blowfly-maggots in wound therapy until its decline with the advent of antibiotic drugs and its revival since the eighties of the 20th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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