History of Forensic Anthropology Flashcards
Where and in what year did forensic anthropology get its start?
Harvard Medical College, 1949
What event led to the first forensic investigation of remains?
The murder of Dr. George Parkman.
In the Parkman murder, who was the accused killer?
John Webster, a chemistry professor who owed Parkman money.
What was the name of the janitor who claimed to see Parkman and Webster together on the night of the murder?
Littleton
What was a distinctive feature of Parkman’s skull that helped to identify him?
His prominent jaw.
Who were the two anatomists asked to serve as witnesses in the Parkman murder trial?
Oliver Wendell Holmes I and Jeffries Wyman
Who provided the specific evidence identifying Dr. Parkman’s remains? What was this evidence?
Nathan Cooley Keep of the Harvard Dental School. He identified a distinctive peculiarity in Dr. Parkman’s jaw because he had performed some dental work on him before his death.
In the Luetgaert murder case, what were three pieces of evidence that pointed to Mr. Luetgart?
- the purchase of potash and arsenic
- a large vat in the basement with four bone fragments in it
- a ring engraved with “L.L.” also found in the vat
In the Luetgart murder case, who was the expert witness and what did he claim?
George Dorsey; he claimed that the four bone fragments were undoubtedly human and from the foot
After the Luetgart murder trial, what happened to Dr. George Dorsey?
He did not consult on any other cases, but published The skeleton in
*medicolegal anatomy. *
Who is considered the father of American forensic anthropology?
Thomas Dwight
In his 1878 essay, what did Dr. Thomas Dwight discuss?
The use of the skeleton to identify stature, sex, and age.
What value do early anatomical collections have to modern researchers?
They can give insight into surgical techniques of the time and the result of diseases like syphillus and tuberculosis in a pre-antiobiotic era.
Where is the Hamann-Todd Collection located?
Western Reserve University, Cleveland
What happened as a result of the Willed Body Law of 1955?
The bodies in anatomical collections were no longer only the disease or unclaimed bodies from morgues. More young people and women donated their bodies, and there were more middle class specimens.
