Download Physical Anthropology / Waters

Physical Anthropology / Waters
NOTES ON FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY
Human osteology is the study of human bones. It’s the science that explores the
development, structure, function and variation of human bones. The skeleton is more durable
than the rest of the body, and is often the only surviving record of a life on earth.
Why Study Bones? Various subfields within anthropology apply knowledge of human
osteology, such as: forensic anthropology, paleoanthropology, and archaeology. Knowledge of
human osteology is extremely important to an anthropologist because it allows him/her to:
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study skeletal variation (e.g. sex, age, and ethnicity)
solve forensic cases (e.g. identify deceased person, determine approximate time since
death, cause of death, age at death, etc.)
study and understand fossil humans and primates
compare prehistoric people to living people
understand ancient diseases and causes of death
Forensic Anthropology applies the techniques of physical anthropology (osteology and
skeletal identification) to legal problems. It involves the “reconstruction” of human remains, as
part of the process of crime scene investigation.
Forensic anthropologists usually work closely with crime scene investigators, coroners, and
other forensic specialists at the scene of a crime. For the forensic anthropologist, there are a
number of specific objectives:
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identification of the deceased person (and a description of the living person)
an evaluation of the health of the deceased
recognition of the cause and manner of death
determination of the approximate time since death
information about antemortem and postmortem events
Antemortem trauma: occurred before death (bones show signs of healing; indicates that
the individual lived after sustaining the injuries).
Perimortem trauma: occurred at, or around, the time of death (no signs of healing; may
indicate cause of death).
Postmortem trauma: occurred after death (breaks, fractures, etc. that occur after death
are distinguishable from trauma that occurred when bone was fresh).