Identifications of Human Beings Flashcards
Why is identification important
Allows identification of a single unknown body
Identification of bodies in a mass fatality incident
Why should identification be done
Human rights Civil Law (e.g. administration of estates) Social function - “closure” for families Assessment of injuries, (e.g. in transportation accidents, may assist authorities in reconstructing incident)
What should be considered in the Identification of a single unknown body
Are the remains human?
- Can be easily settled by visual inspection but may require more specialist analysis (e.g. anatomists/anthropologists or DNA testing)
Why can the determination of sex be tricky
Gender reassignment surgery
Where body is decomposed or burned, sexual characteristics may be obscured - examination for prostate gland/testes or uterus/ovaries
What is useful in the determination of sex
Skeletonisation - pelvis and skull most useful
How can the age be determined in fetuses and neonates
Bone development assessment using ossification centres
X-rays are useful
How can the age be determined in childhood and adolescence
Assessment of epiphyses
How can the age be determined in adults
Increasingly difficult to do with accuracy
What is the best way to determine age
Ageing by examining the teeth: most valuable indicator from infancy to adulthood
How can the stature be dertmined
Difficult to do with precision, even with an intact body
People may not have had their height measured accurately in life anyway
Individual bones of the lower limb are most useful for calculation of height
When is establishing ID easier
When a possible identity is available - various features may be available for comparison
What type of comparative methods can be used
Head hair (colour, length, style)
Eyes (colour)
Facial hair
What type of medical information can be used in identification
Medical history (e.g. gallstones) Surgical procedures (e.g. surgical implants or prostheses, pacemakers (serial numbers), old fractures, removal of all or part of one or more organs) Tattoos (e.g. design, site)
What other personal identification methods can be used
Fingerprints
Dental records
DNA profiling
How are fingerprints useful
Those with a criminal record or by comparison with prints on personal possessions
