Exam #1 Flashcards
1
Q
What is Anthropology?
A
- the study of humans past and present
2
Q
What are the four sub-fields of Anthropology?
A
- Archaeology, Cultural Anthropology, Linguistics, Physical Anthropology
3
Q
What is Forensic Anthropology?
A
- the application of physical or biological anthropology in a legal context
4
Q
Formative Period
A
- early 1800s to 1938
- origin of Forensic Anth. started with the case of the Parkman murder in 1849
5
Q
The Parkman Case Important Details
A
- 1849 at Harvard Medical School
- Dr. George Parkman=physician
- John Webster=Chemistry professor
- Webster killed Parkman to avoid paying back his debt
- Harvard anatomy professors (Holmes & Wyman) helped solved the case
- Webster convicted of murder when dentures found in the furnace were shown to match a mold of Parkman’s teeth that his dentist had used to make the dentures
6
Q
Who was Thomas Dwight?
A
- 1843 to 1911
- 1st avid practitioner of the applied study of forensic anthropology
- considered to be the father of forensic anthropology
- was the 1st American to make major contributions to the field
7
Q
What does a Forensic Anthropologist do?
A
- aid in recovering the body and any physical evidence associated with it
- provide an interpretation of the events surrounding the death and the disposition of the body
- advise the coroner/medical examiner on time & cause of death & identity of victim
8
Q
How did Forensic Anthropology get started?
A
- derived from academic anatomy
- they are scientists NOT investigators
9
Q
What was the importance of the Parkman Case?
A
- one of the first, well documented cases in which knowledge of human anatomy & variation helped matched a set of remains with a missing person
10
Q
What was the Luetgert Case?
A
- first case in U.S. history in which an Anthropologist served as a forensic expert
- provided expert testimony regarding a forensically significant set of human remains
11
Q
The Luetgert Case Important Details
A
- 1897 in Chicago
- Mrs. Luetgert was married to Mr. Adolf Luergert who was a sausage manufacturer
- George Dorsey examined the 4, tiny bones that were found (ring w/ the wife’s initials were also found)
- Adolf Luergert was convicted by the ring and Dorsey’s testimony
12
Q
The Significance of the 1939
A
- Law Enforcement became more aware of Forensic Anthropology due to the publication of “Guide to the Identification of Human Skeletal Material”
- book by W.M. Krogman in FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin
13
Q
Significance of WWII
A
- U.S. Army used American Anthropologists in the identification of skeletonized War dead in the Pacific
14
Q
Significance of 1947
A
- the Army established the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii
- Charles E. Snow of the Uni. of Kentucky was the 1st Physical Anthropologist to serve
15
Q
Significance of Korean War
A
- identification lab was established in Kokura, Japan
- the US Army allowed research to be carried out during identification techniques
- creation of a formula for estimating stature
