This is a fully updated edition of the original, published in 2003 by Sutton Publishing. This comprehensive and authoritative study reflects mankind's obsession with its health almost since time began. Focusing on Britain, the authors draw on archaeological, environmental and historical evidence to assess the impact of climate, the environment, diet, poverty, gender and labor on the bodies of our ancestors. Arranged chronologically, the study also considers the development and spread of particular diseases, such as leprosy and Small Pox, making comparisons with other regions of the world where some of our medieval diseases and conditions still thrive. The interpretation is supported throughout by photographs of skeletal remains and numerous tables which present a mass of archaeological data in a useful way. This new edition has updated chapters and references as well as a new chapter, which includes previously unpublished skeletal reports.