ABSTRACT
Introduction: Stature is an important tool for identification and unique data of human being. Estimation of stature from bones is important for forensic as well as anthropological studies. It is necessary to derive the regression equations from the fragments of femur for medico legal situations. Thus from lower end of femur, estimation of total femoral length can be calculated and then this can be used to get stature by deriving statural formulae. In this study, regression equation for the estimation of total femoral length from epicondylar breadth of femur was computed. Subjects and Methods: Total 208 normal dry human femur bones which were preserved in antomy department of different medical colleges of Gujarat were studied. Total Femoral Length and Epicondylar Breadth of the Femur bone were measured for this study. Results: Epicondylar Breadth of femur displayed the higher correlation (0.828) with Total Femoral Length (TFL) for an individual measurement. As per regression analysis, regression equation is derived which is, B=338.004 + A * 1.390, Where A=Epicondylar Breadth of femur, and B= Total Femoral Length. Then the stature can be estimated by this total Femoral Length by the regression equations or the multiplication factors which are already established by various studies. Conclusion: The total Femoral Length can be estimated from fragmentary lower end of the femur. The total femoral length can be estimated by the equation presented in this study even in the absence of intact femur bone, and by which the stature can be estimated in sex and population sample.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Sex determination from skeletal remains allows one to narrow the search in individual identification. As the femur shows 75% Variation between individuals, it has been useful for sex determination. There are many possible femoral measurements, but the Epicondylar breadth is routinely considered to be useful for sexing individuals. To date, nothing has been published on other measurements of distal femur, which may be useful if the bone is fragmented, and only lower part of bone is available. This study is an attempt to evaluate sex determination from distal femora of Indian origin. Subjects and Methods: For this study total 208 normal dry human femur bones of known sex were studied, which were collected from various medical colleges of Gujarat. For measurement of Epicondylar breadth of femur, Digital sliding vernier caliper was used. Results: The discriminant function equation for sex determination from Epicondylar Breadth (EB) of femur is:-Y = 0.143 * EB + (-8.334) If Y is < 0 then the sex of the bone is Female and if Y is > 0 then the sex of the bone is Male. Conclusion: With the use of discriminant function score, 87% of femur samples are correctly predicted about sex. The results of this study is particularly useful in a case for sex determination in which the skeletal remains of an individual are incomplete or damaged and thus more accurate bones such as the pelvis or cranium are absent.
ABSTRACT
Stature is an important data for identification. Stature of an individual can be estimated from measurement of long bones with the help of established formulae. This method is in practice since 1899. Estimation of stature from bones has anthropological and forensic importance. Changes in the pattern of crime and steady increase in the number of homicides have made these works important and valuable for the administration of law. Excavation of graves, mass casualties and cases where grossly mutilated skeletal remains are found, become difficult and challenging for both the forensic pathologist and physical anthropologist. In India, exposed and unidentified dead bodes are often mutilated by wild animals gnawing the skeletal remains. Bone fragments, often with ends destroyed, are brought for forensic examination. Further, those formulae for long bones are population specific, and also depend on the condition of the available bones. The present study makes an attempt to establish the correlation between epicondylar breadth and maximum femoral length and subsequently its application in stature estimation in Indian Bengali population.