Forensic Anthropology Flashcards
Bone size
Non human bones which are the same size as subadult bones
but which are osteologically mature will have united epiphyses.
Subadult bones are immature and will have a rough unfinished
appearance due to the non union of the epiphyses.
Shape
The human skull is very distinctive, have a large brain case and small facial features
Non human teeth usually have
large canines and pointy cusps.
Vertebrae
Human vertebrae are quite
distinctive due to our
evolution to bipedalism.
The intervertebral surfaces
are flat with sharp margins
Non-human tend to have tall
centra with small surface area
for articulation and short,
blocky spinous processes.
Hemerus/ femur
In non-human animals, the
head may be incomplete (i.e.
not completely round) and
rarely is there a significant
neck (bone between head
and shaft).
Tibia
Non-human animals tend
to have large tibial
tuberosities, and a distal
end with multiple
extensions.
Four areas that help to establish the forensic context of human bones
Preservation
Modification
Personal belongings
Conditions of interment
Preservation
This is divided into seven traits:
Colour
Texture
Hydration
Weight
Condition
Fragility
Soft tissue
Modification
Most body modification only involve the skin such
as tattoos, ear plugs etc.
Personal belongings
Modern forms of
clothing, footwear,
jewelery etc would all be
of medicolegal
significance and assist
in identification.
Objects such as stone
tools, basketry and
pottery would all indicate
noncontemporary
remains.
Conditions of interment
A normal burial usually
involves careful treatment of
the deceased.
This would involve the
arrangement , pretreatment
and position of the decease.
A burial which would be of
medicolegal significance will
usually be hurried,
disorganized, often in a pit or
shallow grave.
Disorganized Mass Grave
Impact of preservation
Poor surface preservation of bone can lead to pathology or trauma being unobservable.
Can also impact sex and age at death estimations.
Fragmentation
Recorded as mild, moderate or severe.
Can impact the amount of metric data that will be recordable eg
stature, cranial metrics.
Bone microstructure
The microscopic structure of
cortical bone is often
diagnostic between humans
and non-human animals
Perservation grade 0
No erosion
Preservation garde 1
Slight and patchy surface erosion
