Forensic Anthropology

Forensic Anthropology

Forensic Anthropology in the Identification of Deceased Persons

In addition to inquiry into cultures, arts, and technologies of the humans, anthropology plays a major role in the identification of unknown individuals. Forensic anthropology in particular is used to solve the mysteries of how people died. This goal is achieved through examining various parts of the skeleton such as skull, bones, teeth, and pelvis among others.

Bone Growth

Clavicle, also known as the dollar bone, is the last bone completing growth at the age of about 25 years. Since teeth and bones mature at an impartially foreseeable rate, skeleton can thus be used to estimate the age of a person. Generally, during childhood to age of 20 years, the exact determinant of age is teeth, while the pelvis is used for the adults.

How Teeth are Used to Estimate Age

The maximum number of teeth for adults is 32, whereby 8 are incisors, 4 canines, 8 premolars,8 molars, and 4widom teeth. However, the number of wisdom teeth differs from one individual to another. Permanent teeth are developed before the age of 13 years, whereas wisdom teeth are formed between the age of 18 and 21 years. In identifying the age of deceased individuals, the initial step involves examining different phases of teeth development from childhood to adulthood. The first category of teeth investigated is deciduous teeth which emerge two years after birth, followed by two permanent incisors along with permanent molar at the of age 6 to 8 years, and finally the wisdom teeth at 18years. Forensic anthropologist utilizes such information linking it to every change that occurs in the existing teeth to determine the age of a person. Tooth root translucency increases with age and independence of periodontal damage, for instance, are useful pieces of information to estimate the age of an individual (“Written Bone”, 2018). Some considerations however are taken into account, for example, dental wear on the teeth is variable within different populations.

Bone Remodeling

Bone remodeling refers to a long-lasting exercise in which mature bone tissue is removed out of a skeleton to facilitate growth of a new bone. This process regulates the redesigning or replacement of bones as result of any injury such as fracture and also minor damages, that takes place during usual activities. Remodeling reacts to operational requirements of mechanical loading. The initial year after birth, utmost every skeleton is substituted. In every adult, remodeling continues at approximately ten percent annually.

To determine the age of an individual using bone remodeling, the length of the bone is measured to assess whether the person is a child or an adult. However, such technique is most applicable when the bone has stopped the growth process. Additionally, well calcified skeletons with signs of several fractures and repairs, is a likelihood that the person is an adult.

Sciatic Notch

This term refers to an indentation within the ilium, a bone that makes up a person’s pelvis which is located between the post posterior inferior iliac spine and the ischia spine. Besides, it is responsible for holding the piriformis, that is, the superior gluteal vein, artery, and nerve, the inferior gluteal vein, artery and nerve, the posterior femoral cutaneous nerves, internal pudendal artery and vein, and the nerves to the internal obturator and quadratus femoris muscles”  (de Boer, et al., 2018). To establish the gender of a person, the greater sciatic notch has a wide shape in females, with 74.4 degree while males have 50.4 degree. Therefore, the size of sciatic notch determines the gender type.

Female and Male Pelvis

A females’ pelvis is usually huger and broader compared to that of males. Males’ pelvis is normally tall, higher iliac crest, slightly narrow, and extremely compact. Moreover, distance existing between the ischium bones is smaller in males compared to females.

Use of Skull to Determine Age

The first step involves identification of sagittal suture which is a squiggly line running the length of the skull (“PBS”, 2018). When such joint is fully fused, it implies that the remains are possibly of an individual aged thirty-five years or above. In case a second line within front side of the skull (coronal suture) is completely fused, then the person is about 40 years old (“PBS”, 2018). Additionally, anthropologist can conduct an X-ray on the skull to estimate the age of a person. Results with complete absence of frontal sinus development, indicates age of six years and below, while development of two minor, kidney-bean-shaped regions surrounding the frontline of forehead indicates an age of between 6 and 8 years. The first levels without two cavities which touch though do not merge, indicates an age of 7 to 10 years, while a completely formed merging of frontal sinuses, indicates an age of 12 to 18 years.

Hand Bones

Examining hand bones often hold clues to various information about the deceased person. These facts include gender, place of origin, stature, work, age at the time of death, duration of stay after death, and factors behind the person’s death. For instance, a forensic anthropologist might find a bony ridge on the ridge and conclude that the decedent may have been someone who used their hands for a living such as chef or masonry (“PBS”, 2018).

Case File: Mystery of Moran

Mystery Moran is case of a person who inherited a piece of old picture from his great aunt, Emmy, which he did not love. Before deciding to get rid of it, he conducted research to ensure that the piece had no use. During the process of investigation, he came across the writing on the art which read, ‘PRANG’S AMERICAN CHROMOS BOSTON, YELLOWSTONE LAKE, COPYRIGHT 1875 BY L. PRANG & CO’ (“PBS”, 2018). He went to the library to research about the writing but did not find biographies for an artist called Prang. He searched through the card catalog and found some books talking about Louis Prang color lithographs and other Yellowstone pictures crafted by an artist named Thomas Moran. Moran was a famous artist and explorer, which revealed the reason why the person’s aunt loved his pictures. The biography of Moran also mentioned about his unique signatures and monograms which resembled the inherited old picture. The person took the old picture to a local appraiser and was informed that it was a rare print which could cost about $6,500. This discovery meant additional inheritance to the person. Therefore, through investigation of piece of art one can understand people’s way of life as well as their work.

In conclusion, skeletons, printed and written items can reveal essential information about particular individuals. This field has helped to solve mysteries behind certain deaths. The information from such investigation is useful in issues of justice. Through examining various parts of the skeleton such as skull, teeth, bones, and pelvis, important facts about an individual can be revealed including age, gender, work, stature, and causes of their death.

References

De Boer, H. H., Blau, S., Delabarde, T., & Hackman, L. (2018). The role of forensic anthropology in disaster victim identification (DVI): Recent developments and future prospects. Forensic Sciences Research, 1-13.

PBS: Learning from Skeletons. Retrieved April 16, 2018, from: http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/techniques/forensic_feature.html

Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th Century Chesapeake. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Retrieved April 16, 2018, from: https://anthropology.si.edu/writteninbone/index.html