Establishing Forensic Significance Flashcards
What constitutes a death that needs further investigation?
a death that occurred within the last 50ish years and a death that occurred while not in the care of medical professional
What are the three questions to determine forensic significance?
Is it bone? Is it human? Is it contemporary?
What are the three methods of determining if it is bone or not?
visual analysis, microscopic analysis, chemical analysis
What three things distinguish human bone from non human sources?
histology, maturity, architecture
What are some examples of human vs non human bone differences?
Humans have a: round braincase, bowl shaped os coxa, c-shaped ribs, straight radius and ulna, and chunky thumb bones, etc
What seven things determine determine state of preservation?
color, texture, hydration, weight, condition, fragility, soft tissue
drier & more damanaged =
older
What three things are key body modifications to look for?
cranial modification, dentition, prosthetics
What are the signs of a natural death site?
arrangement, pretreatment, burial
What are the three natural cause arrangements?
tightly flexed, semi-flexed, and extended
What are the two natural cause pretreatments?
embalming and cremation
What are some examples of natural cause burial situations?
coffin & mausoleum (modern), stone-lined pits (prehistoric)
TRUE or FALSE: legitimate burials from old and forgotten graveyards can mistakenly appear to be forensic cases
TRUE
