A Field guide for human skeletal Identification, 2nd ed. By Kenneth A. Bennett. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas. 1993. 113 pp. ISBN 0‐398‐05884‐9. $32.75 (paper)

Abstract

A FIELD GUIDE FOR HUMAN SKELETAL IDENTIFI-CATION, 2nd ed. By Kenneth A. Bennett. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas. 1993. 113 pp. ISBN 0-398-05884-9. $32.75 (paper).Designed for quick and easy access by forensic anthropologists, A Field Guide for Human Skeletal Identification is a collection of previously published standards and information for identifying unknown human remains. In the introductory section Bennett appropriately points out that the ideal situation for human identification is in the laboratory where references and technology are readily accessible. For myriad reasons this ideal is not always met and examinations of human remains must be conducted in various "field situations. This manual is designed expressly for use in those situations.Bennett brings together in one place information and standards from the literature relevant to human identification, especially information that is not readily committed to memory. It is presumed that this manual will serve solely as a reference for professional forensic anthropologists who also possess an expert knowledge and ability in human osteology, dental anatomy, and skeletal biology as well as anthropometry. The manual is divided into four sections: ethnic affiliation, age estimation, sex determination, and stature estimation. It is the first section, attribution of ethnic affiliation, that contains the most obvious changes and additions from the first edition of this manual. Included here are cranial and post-cranial discriminant function coefficients that were generated from the Forensic Data Bank at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Bennett argues that these newly generated coefficients are more applicable to contemporary individuals than those generated from older anatomical collections. Obvious omissions in this section are any standards for "ethnic" groups other than American whites and blacks and any standards