Paleopathology is the study of diseases and disease processes in ancient individuals and populations, both human and animal. Justification for the study of paleopathology is threefold: information on disease processes for any era contributes to the overall body of medical knowledge; information about diseases in ancient populations can help to elucidate historical and paleontological questions; and differences in lesions and incidence between ancient and modern populations can help answer questions of modern pathology.