SEM Observation on the Weathering Human Hair after Burial / 체질인류학회지

ABSTRACT

This study was undertaken to investigate the morphological changes of hair according to weathering after burial and to offer basic data for forensic science. To examine the effect of weathering degree, the 45 hairs buried for 5~50 years were taken from deceased individuals in tombs in Korea. The morphological changes in weathering hair shafts of the scalp were investigated using the scanning electron microscopes. There were little morphological differences of weathering depending on the regions of burial. The weathering changes includes exclusion of cuticle, separation of hair cortex and hollow formation in the medulla according to the burial period. These results could provide basic data to the field of forensic medicine.