Derek Boyd (Anthropology) published an open-access article in Early View in the International Journal of Paleopathology titled, "An Intersectional and Bayesian Investigation of Pleural Disease in Industrializing England (1700-1857CE)," (2026). In this article, Boyd combines intersectionality theory with Bayesian linear modeling to map the burden of pleural disease among adults from London, Barton-upon-Humber, and North Shields. Variation in pleural disease burden was attributed to environmental privileges among wealthier Londoners, differences in the pace of urbanization between London and the two northern towns, and the unique social and historical contexts of the communities under study. Through this investigation, Boyd demonstrates how Bayesian inference can be used to uncover the complex intersections of health, identity, and inequality in the past through its ability to leverage diverse data sources, including social theory, skeletal samples, mortuary context, and archival documents.
