Download Beste Carien - University of Pretoria Archived Website

MEDIA RELEASE
25 NOVEMBER 2013
____________________________________________________________
Forensic Anthropology book launched at the Faculty of Health Sciences
Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Gwen Ramokgopa, celebrated the launch of the
latest edition of The Human Skeleton in Forensic Medicine authored by Prof
Maryna Steyn, a physical anthropologist and the Director of Forensic
Anthropology Research Centre, based at the University of Pretoria’s Faculty
of Health Sciences. She co-authored the book with Mehmet Yasar Işcan from
the University of Istanbul, Turkey. The book details discussions on crime
scene investigation including excavation techniques and determination of time
since death as well as skeletal analysis.
The first edition of the book was published by Prof Wilton Marion Krogman
from the United States of America in 1960. The book was based on the notes
he published in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin in 1939 and it served as a
guide to the identification of human skeletal material. The second edition of
the book followed in 1986 by Prof Krogman and Prof MY Iscan. By then there
were few books on the subject of forensic anthropology and it became the
gold standard in the field of skeletal identification.
Twenty seven years later, a third edition of the book is produced by Profs
Mehmet Iscan and Maryna Steyn, reflecting the developments in the field in
the last quarter of the century. In the current edition, existing chapters have all
been thoroughly revised. They bring readers up to date with the current
concepts of skeletal age; determination of sex; assessment of ancestry;
calculation of stature; superimposition and restoration of physiognomy. The
book features a chapter on trauma analysis which came as a result of new
developments in science, and also a chapter on bone pathology which
elucidates the main pathological conditions that can be recognised during the
skeletal identification process. DNA analysis from bones is also featured in
the book.
There is a new dimension of the book pertinent to modern forensic
technology, featuring forensic analysis of the living. This dimension is not so
well developed in South Africa and it entails photo identification of the
perpetrator who participated in the crime, as well as age estimation.
Page 1 of 2
Prof Maryna Steyn described the book as a standard in the field of forensic
anthropology with a South African flavour (because of its local case studies).
“Although the book consists of many South African case studies emanating
from my experience, we attempted to give it a global perspective, for example
where we outlined standards to estimate stature I included data for every
continent in the world. The book is also more of a reference text for postgraduate studies in the field of forensic anthropology and pathology,” said Prof
Steyn.
The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Gwen Ramokgopa, said the launch of the
book is significant not only because of its historic nature, but for research and
academia as well as a demonstration of the world class capabilities of the
South African scientists. Deputy Minister Ramokgopa said that forensic
pathology and anthropology contributes vastly towards justice in the country.
“There have been advances in forensic pathology and forensic anthropology
involving the analysis of medical evidence to produce objective information for
use in the legal system. We acknowledged the fact that affirming the
importance of forensic medicine is part of celebrating a new era of justice and
of recognising the right to dignity for all humanity – whether they are alive or
have passed on,” she said.
Deputy Minister Ramokgopa cherished the fact that the book is based on the
experiences of South Africa. “We can be proud of the fact that the knowledge
that we have acquired in South Africa, and the understanding and the
interface between medicine and justice we have gathered over the years can
be at the service of the world and also beneficial to future generations as they
explore in science,” she said.
END
For more media information about the University of Pretoria, please contact:
Sanku Tsunke
Media Liaison Officer
Communication and Marketing Division
Department of University Relations
University of Pretoria
Tel: 012 420 2276
Fax: 012 420 4269
Cell: 071 008 0187
Email: [email protected]
Page 2 of 2