Rise of forensic anthropology

Abstract

Physical anthropologists have long been called upon to apply their knowledge of human skeletal biology to practical problems of concern to the medicolegal system. The discipline of forensic anthropology arose out of this need to determine and assess the characteristics of a n individual. The present paper traces the development of forensic anthropology and analyzes its brief historical roots, methodological advances, and the role it now plays in both the anthropological community and the criminal justice system. Since its formal establishment as a section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in 1972, the discipline has made great strides, especially in the determination of demographic characteristics such as age, sex, and race. There is, however, a dearth of research on the factors of individualization accompanied by a proliferation of improperly designed studies. Unfortunately, further progress is limited by the absence of a precisely documented, modern skeletal collection. This paper also addresses the issue of identification and the problems associated with current approaches and the interpretation of results. This critical review of the field leads to the conclusion that the future of forensic anthropology depends on the commitment of its practitioners and investigators to the research and development of forensically applicable techniques.For years many anthropologists assisted the medicolegal profession and law enforcement agencies but did so without any official standards of qualification. The creation of the Physical Anthropology section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) in 1972 marked the beginning of a new era (Kerley, 1978a). Now, after 16 years as a specialty in its own right, it is time to review the historical development of forensic anthroplogy that has led to its current status. Although this paper emphasizes the formalization of forensic anthropology as a discipline in the United States, a global approach is important, and I have integrated scientific contributions from around the world into each section. This presentation will focus on the nature of the discipline, its interaction with physical anthropology, its role in the forensic sciences, and its professional responsibilities. ANTHROPOLOGY AND THE FORENSIC SCIENCESForensic science is composed of the branches of academic disciplines that can be applied to aid the medicolegal system. I will use the American experience to illustrate how anthropology became a part of this multidisciplinary field. The AAFS was formed largely through the efforts of R.H. Gradwohl, who founded the academy in 1950 (Eckert, 1980). Its objectives are "to promote education for and research in the forensic sciences; to encourage the study, improve the practice, elevate the standards and advance the cause of the forensic sciences; to promote interdisciplinary communications. . . ." (American Academy of Forensic Sciences, 1987:xii). 204YEARBOOK OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY [Vol. 31, 1988 Snow (1982) recounts that before 1970, only two phys...

Height determination using hand length in Nigerian school children

“…The parameters showed a significant correlation with height in both male and female Nigerian school children of Gbagyi tribe of Abuja-Nigeria Hence these can be used by law enforcement agents and forensic scientists to identify fragmentary and dismembered human remains in Nigerian school children of Gbagyi descent of Abuja. Since it has been established that long bones are the most appropriate specimen for height evaluation and estimation (ISCAN, 1988;JASUGA, SINGH and JAIN, 2004), hand length was chosen for this study as it is part of the long bones of the body. It has been shown in this study that there was a significant correlation between height and hand length and with age, weight and BMI in male and female of Nigerian school children of Gbagyi tribe of Abuja.…”

“…The bone area values at different sites strongly correlates to muscle strength and also correlate to body size; height, weight, lean mass, fat mass and body mass index (BMI) (FESSLER, HALEY and LAI, 2005). It is commonly accepted that standards for skeletal identification vary among different populations and the standard for one population may not be used for another (THAKUR and RAI, 1987;ISCAN, 1988).…”

“…Although by far the most long term data available on health risks are from Caucasian subjects, there is mounting evidence that these Western standards may not be applicable to Africans and Asians (KRISHAN and SHARMA, 2007). The reconstruction of body stature has been a subject of study since the beginning of the nineteenth century in the specialized areas of forensic anthropology which deals with the application of methods and techniques of analysing skeletal remains (TROTTER and GLESSER, 1958;ISCAN, 1988ISCAN, , 2001. The aim of the present study was to investigate if height could be predicted using hand length, age and other body measurements in Nigerian School Children of Gbagyi ethic group.…”

Height estimation based on second cervical vertebra measured using three-dimensional computed tomographic scanning in Iranian adults

“…Forensic anthropology tries to define the identity of corpses. Since bones remain several years after death, the skeletal examination could be especially useful to identify those cases [1, 2]. Height is the main component in the construction of the biological profile of an individual and is one of the basic actions to identify is to determine the height of the individual once remains are found [3, 4].…”

Acetabular osteometric standards for sex estimation in contemporary Croatian population

“…The need to find more reliable and objective methods led to the development of osteometric methods. These are based on statistical analyses of measurements of different skeleton parts, meaning that formulae are generated from discriminant function analysis (6-10). One of the main problems of osteometric method is inter-observer difference.…”