Application of the Suchey-Brooks system of pubic age estimation to recent Japanese skeletal material

Abstract

The Suchey-Brooks system, based on a collection of pubic bones from autopsied individuals in the United States with known ages at death, has gained wide acceptance as a method of estimating age from the morphology of the pubic symphyseal region. While some studies have suggested the influence of population variation on age estimations, there has so far been no study that applied the Suchey-Brooks system to Japanese skeletal materials. In this study, I evaluated the morphology of the pubic symphyseal region in a relatively large sample of recent Japanese skeletal material (n = 416) and derived mean ages and standard deviations for each of the six Suchey-Brooks phases. Results suggested that age estimation by this method is comparatively reliable in individuals up to 40 years of age but less reliable at higher ages. In all six pubic bone phases, differences between the mean ages of the Japanese and the Suchey-Brooks series were less than three years, demonstrating the applicability of the system to the recent Japanese.

A test of Suchey–Brooks (pubic symphysis) and Buckberry–Chamberlain (auricular surface) methods on an identified Spanish sample: paleodemographic implications

“…Generally speaking, and as was the case for the SucheyeBrooks method in this study (see Fig. 4), the estimation error produced upon applying a specific method is expected to increase with age (Nawrocki, 2010), as described previously by numerous authors when applying different age-estimation methods (Hens et al, 2008;Katz and Suchey, 1986;Martrille et al, 2007;Mulhern and Jones, 2005;Rissech et al, 2007;Sakaue, 2006;Schmitt, 2004). However, this was not found to be the case for the results obtained using the BuckberryeChamberlain method, probably due to the mean age and range structure estimated by the method itself.…”

Demographic and pathological characteristics of the medieval Japanese: new evidence from human skeletons from Kamakura, Japan

“…In the case of age at death for adult individuals 15 years of age and older, chronological metamorphosis of the pubic symphysis (Todd, 1920(Todd, , 1921Brooks and Suchey, 1990;Sakaue, 2006), and chronological metamorphosis of the auricular surface of the ilium (Lovejoy et al, 1985;Buckberry and Chamberlain, 2002) were used.…”

Pubic symphyseal face eburnation: an Egyptian sport story?

“…Agerelated changes may include joint narrowing, marginal osteophytes and subchondral cysts. While marginal lipping and surface destruction of the pubic face are associated with the aging process, the excessive flattening and polishing of the face observed here is not mentioned in Todd's (1920Todd's ( , 1921 seminal papers on the aging process using the pubis or in any of the later methods developed from Todd's work (Gilbert & McKern, 1973;Meindl et al, 1985;Suchey et al, 1986;Brooks & Suchey, 1990;Klepinger et al, 1992;Sakaue, 2006). Among individuals over 50 years of age, Todd (1920) noted erosive change, possibly with some osteophytic growth on the face and destruction of the vertebral margin.…”