The analysis of 36 human skeletons (eight subadults, 13 males, 15 females) recovered during a cemetery relocation near Charleston, SC, provides data on health and disease for a 19th-century sample of Afro-Americans. The majority of the burials date from 1840-1870. Skeletal analysis verified some historical interpretations. Gender differential in mortality is evident with average age at death for males 35 and females 40 years. Females, besides living longer, had more missing and carious teeth but fewer abscesses. Both genders expressed childhood metabolic stress as indicated by linear enamel hypoplasias. Males, however, had a higher incidence (92%) than did females (70%). Age at occurrence was more widely distributed for females, but ages 2-4 were most critical for both genders. Postcranial indications of recovery from acute stress, Harris lines, occurred more frequently for males (45%) than for females (18%). Anemia, probably both genetic and acquired, was a significant health problem for both genders. Cribra orbitalia appeared in 35% of the adult crania, and 80% of the subadults had orbital lesions. Diplotic expansion of the cranial vault and infection were relatively common in the sample. Skeletal reaction to infections appeared in 69% of the males, 60% of the females, and 80% of the subadults. Skeletal changes associated with demanding physical labor were ubiquitous. The shoulder and hip were especially affected by degenerative changes, the cervical vertebrae frequently expressed osteophytosis, and males show a preponderance of Schmorl herniations and hypertrophy of the ulnar supinator crest. Skeletal trace elements indicate a relatively high exposure to lead, strontium concentrations indicative of a diet high in plant foods, and relatively low zinc and copper concentrations.
Forensic anthropologists use facial reconstruction to develop a likeness of an unknown individual in order to generate public interest that may lead to a positive identification. Tissue thicknesses of the face from living persons or cadavers are an essential part of the reconstruction method. The purpose of this study is to add to the growing database of tissue thicknesses along the facial midline of African-American children and to begin to examine the possibility of geographic differences between children of the same ancestral group. Results indicate that significant differences do not exist between males and females or between African-American females from the Midwest and Southeast U.S. Only age was determined to have a significant effect on mean tissue thickness variation, in our sample, with the majority of change occurring in the facial region.
Morphometric variables on the human petrous portion of the temporal bone can provide identification of sex in fragmented skeletal remains. The petrous frequently survives circumstances that cause skeletal fragmentation. Using discriminant function analysis of seven combinations of five variables, up to 74% accuracy can be obtained in determining sex from the petrous portion.
When a local fisherman landed a 243-cm (8-ft), 59-kg (130-lb) tiger shark off the coast of South Carolina, the stomach contents included human remains. The distal femur articulations, complete patella, and proximal fourth of the tibia and fibula with connective tissue and a few hairs were present. The forensic science analysis of this material raised some unique questions not usually confronted by a physical anthropologist. Estimations of time since death necessitated research into the feeding and movement habits of tiger sharks, the digestive mechanics and chemistry of the species, and possible alteration of the skeletal material. The fragmentation of the remains spurred extension of usual identification techniques and raised questions of level of confidence of the methods. The current techniques for diagnosis of sex, race, age, stature, and individualized features, and their utility in this case, are reviewed. Areas for further research are proposed.
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