[Sca-cooks] The Chubby Monk

[Sharon Gordon]

Philippa Patrick, of the Institute of Archaeology, at University College,
London, has been studying skeletal data from 300 sets of bones from Tower
Hill, Bermondsey, and Merton abbeys. Her results were presented to the
International Medieval Congress, meeting in Leeds.  At the end of the
article she gives two suggested menus for what the monks were eating based
on a current and other research.

She also make note of  a medical condition known now as Dish (diffuse
idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis) triggered by overeating and a rich diet.
"The marks of Dish keep appearing on their skeletons. It forms a coating on
the spine like candlewax dripping down the side," said Ms Patrick.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1261533,00.html

If anyone comes across a more detailed paper on this research, I'd love to
know more.  The Westminster Abbey records sound like they could be helpful,
too.

Sharon
gordonse at one.net