A total of 108 individuals from six different cultures found in the Department of Ica, Peru, were studied for the presence of Harris's Lines. Such lines or “bone scars” are formed due to cessation of bone growth due to episodes of starvation or illness and possibly other causes. These individuals covered a span of time of nearly 2,600 years. The individuals from mountain cultures had fewer lines and possibly a healthier childhood than those from coastal cultures. The modern population surveyed in this series still show a pattern of Harris's Lines similar to people from the Inca culture of 450 years ago.
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Allison et al. (1974) studied this question.
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