1. An automated method of assaying or monitoring the extent of joint or bone deformity in a joint-degenerative or joint-damaging disease in a subject, comprising the steps of (a) determining from a digitized x-ray image of a patient's selected straight bone that terminates at a joint, coordinates of at least one of the right and left bone contours of a selected bone, (b) determining from bone contour coordinates determined in step (a), the coordinates of one or more apices in a region adjacent at least one side of the joint formed by the selected bone, and, optionally, the coordinates of a minimum width in the middle region of the bone, (c) using the coordinates determined in step (b) for selecting a reference joint contour corresponding to one of (i) the contours of confronting joint portions of adjacent straight bones in a normal joint formed by the selected bone; (ii) the contour of a normal joint in a joint region formed by the selected bone; and (iii) the contour from previous x-ray of the subject's bone in the region of the joint, and (d) guided by the reference joint contour selected in step (c), analyzing a region of the selected joint of the patient, to assay or monitor the extent of bone or joint deformity in the subject.