Human Growth and Development Flashcards
Define:
Forensic Anthropology
What are the applications of Forensic Anthropology
This is the study of human remains for Medio-legal purposes
- To identify a person
- Only applicable to bones <50 years old as these have Medio-legal significance
APPLICATIONS:
- War zones
- Crime scenes
- Mass disaster
What do Forensic anthropologists study?
Specialise in Human osteology (study of human hard tissue and bone), and apply knowledge to human remains
Types of identification
- Individuation
- characterisation of unknown human remains - Positive identification
Stages of forensic anthropology
- Is the skeleton human? Are bones human?
- Identification
- Circumstance
- Is the death unexpected - call coroner and Forensic pathologist
Discuss how a forensic Anthropologist Profile is conducted
- The remains are found and are checked to see if they are human - IF NOT HUMAN leave to others
- if they are human the age of the bone is estimated, if they are <50 years they have Medio-legal significance- if bone isn’t a fossil = examination.
IDENTIFICATION:
- Identify age estimate - from skeleton (most accurate for younger bones)
- gender determination
- Height, stature, race?
- Any evidence of disease?
CIRCUMSTANCE:
- What was the cause of death
- Any trauma
Why isn’t soft tissue/ organic material examined?
- Soft tissue can be preserved by certain conditions;
- extremes of moisture
- dry conditions
- Cold environments
- Chemicals in peat bogs
This makes soft tissue difficult to use to determine time since death
Example = Mummification
The Human Skeleton
Comprised of 206 bones ±
CENTRAL SUB DIVISIONS:
- Cranial - everything above the chin (Brain, 4/5 senses)
- Post Cranial - everything below the chin (divided into axial and appendicular)
The Axial Skeleton
Skull
Vertebral column:
Cervical
Thoracic
Lumbar
Sacral
Sternum
RibsThe Appendicular Skeleton
Hung to Axial skeleton Limbs Scapula Clavicle Os Coxae (Pelvic region)
The standard anatomical position
Palms of hands and feet point towards you
No bones are crossed
The Median Sagittal Plane
The body is split in half
the body is inspected by left and right half
Coronal Plane
Transverse Plane
CORONAL PLANE:
The body is looked at from a side view
The body is divided in half producing equal front and back planes
Vertical division of body
TRANSVERSE:
This is where the body is divided horizontally
This division can occur at any height
Define the Directional Terms
Anterior = Front surface of the body Posterior = Back surface of the body Superior = Top of head Inferior = Bottom of feet Medial = Near the middle of the body Lateral = Away from the middle of the body Proximal = Nearest to axial skeleton Distal = Further from axial skeleton
Types of dentition
- Deciduous and Permanent
Mandibular = Lower teeth Maxillary = Upper teeth
Permanent Dentition
Milk teeth -> 2 incisors , canine, first premolar, molar There are 5 teeth in each quadrant STARTING FROM FRONT OF MOUTH: 1. Central incisor 2. Lateral incisor 3. Canine 4. First pre-molar 5. Second premolar 6. First molar 7. Second molar 8. Third molar
Teeth Directionality Terms
Mesial = Surface closest to the central plane, every tooth
has this
Distal = Closest to the back of the mouth
Buccal = Seen when smiling
Lingual = Inside of tooth, facing the tongue
Occlusal = Is the flat biting surface
Define;
Development
Growth
DEVELOPMENT
- Refers to stages of incremental changes such as:
- age
- speaking
- walking
GROWTH
- refers to physical changes that occur
The three Trimesters of Human development
1. Prenatal
Embryo (Up to 2nd month after fertilisation)
Foetus (After 2nd month until birth)
2. Perinatal
(Few weeks before and after birth)
3. Postnatal
Neonate (first month after birth)
Infant
Adolescenc
Adult
These stages are standardised, however infant and adolescent varies depending on the society you are within
Grow rates
- All animals grow at similar rates
- Grow fast in the few months after fertilisation
- Grow begins to slow after the first few months
TEETH - Grow faster in prenatal trimester
BONES - For long bones - females grow in advancement of 1 to 2 years over males
- quick growth f=rate before birth
- Accurate to determine age in children
Bone cells
The three main groups
Osetoblasts = Form bone Osteoclasts = Resorb bone Osteocytes = Maintain bone tissue
When bones form …
A collagen (protein) matrix is made up which is about 90% organic Mineral crystals in the body harden and "stiffen" the collagen, this is filling with hydroxyapatite
Collagen and Age
- the skeleton undergoes changes all the time - it remodels
- Children = More collagen
- Adults = Less collagen
- Collagen content decreases with age
- As bones lengthen collagen moves apart
Growth Disturbances
- Endocrine disorder - Endocrine system excretes hormones, these hormones are either over or under released Over release = Gigantism and Acromegaly Under release = Dwarfism - Diet - Catch up growth
Dental Development
6 months before birth :
Teeth begin to form in the gums
White coating forms
(Pre-natal)
Post natal:
Teeth grow and develop for roughly 18 years after birth
Enamel
- Hardest substance in the body
(91% inorganic calcium phosphate) (9% organic) - Function = cover dentin and provide protection to teeth
- On the front teeth = Thin
- On the back teeth = Thick
- Depth depends on location
- White enamel dies if a tooth is broken or damaged
Growth lines
- Can be seen when trauma is experienced
- Appear as lines in tooth enamel
- Cross striations = 24 hours
- Retzius lines = 6- 12 days
- Shorter person = longer biological clock , thick teeth
enamel - Taller person = biological clock of around (4,5 or 6 days)
have thinner tooth enamel - Enamel on adult teeth forms very slowly
Enamel Defects
- Genetics
- Antibiotics - Tetracyclene - fights bacterial infections
- Fluorosis - Fluoride put in water to help prevent tooth
decay - Birth
- Diseases
- Dioxins - environmental pollutants
