Avian tibial dyschondroplasia in 19th-century turkey (Meleagris gallopavo L. 1758) remains from the Royal London Hospital

In this paper we call attention to the first recorded archaeological examples of avian tibial dyschondroplasia. This condition is identified in three turkey (Meleagris gallopavo L. 1758) tibiotarsi from the Royal London Hospital site in London, UK. The lesions are described, radiographed and differentially diagnosed. Recognition of this condition testifies to the pace of breed development in the 19th-century and the unintended health consequences of ‘improvement’.

► We describe three turkey tibiotarsi from excavations at the Royal London Hospital.
► Radiographic analysis was used for differential diagnosis of pathologies present.
► This analysis confirms a diagnosis of tibial dyschondroplasia in these specimens.
► These represent the first archaeologically recovered examples of this disease.
► This diagnosis is interpreted as possible evidence for improvement of the species.