Anemia is the impairment of oxygen transport to the tissue by red blood cells. Today, it is a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially in children. The most common form in most populations is iron deficiency anemia. Common causes are dietary deficiencies, diarrheal disease, and chronic blood loss due to burden of gut parasites. Deficiency of vitamin C in the diet, due to lack of fresh fruit and vegetables, causes scurvy. Deficiency of vitamin D causes rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Most vitamin D is synthesized in the body. This process requires exposure of the skin to ultraviolet light. Frequencies of rickets and osteomalacia in the past are an index of exposure to sunlight. Anemia, scurvy, and rickets may each leave potentially diagnostic traces on the skeleton. Studies of these deficiency diseases in skeletal populations can potentially inform us of important aspects of past lifestyles.