Description
Systematic survey of mammalian skeletons has revealed patterns of disease reproducible over geologic time. Systematic examination of non-passerine bird skeletons also reveals patterns of disease and identifies those disorders amenable to epidemiologic assessment. Neoplasia, infection, osteochondromatosis and gout are extremely rare, precluding phylogenetic comparisons–at least those based on macroscopic examination of skeletons. Osteoarthritis, paradoxically, is identified at sufficient population frequency for meaningful investigation.