Physical Anthropology Collections

What is Forensic Anthropology?

History of the field:
Forensic Anthropology is a branch of physical anthropology that involves the analysis of human skeletal remains. Detailed descriptions of the skeletal remains aid in the identification of the individual. Forensics Anthropology is a profession joined with other medical and scientific disciplines such as human anatomy, paleontology, dentistry, and archaeology. Thomas Dwight, M.D. is considered the father of American forensic anthropology with the publication of a paper entitled, The Identification of Human Skeleton, A Medicolegal Study in 1878 (Krogman 1962). Clyde Snow is considered a founding member of the field of Forensic Anthropology and has practiced in the field for over 35 years. He was instrumental in the establishment of teams of forensic scientists devoted to the documentation of cases of human rights abuses around the world. He emphasizes the training of a variety of local citizens in the methods of forensic anthropology. This includes recovery (excavation), cleaning, repair, preservation, photography, X-ray, and the analysis of bone.

Methods of Analysis:
Through the use of specific analyses forensic anthropologists seek to identify human remains. These methods include first establishing whether or not the bone or remains are human. A trained expert in anatomy usually from a medical or a physical anthropology background is consulted. Once the remains are confirmed to be human then an overall description of the material is completed. This includes an inventory of the bone elements, teeth, tissue and any artifactual material (clothes, jewelry, dental bridges, etc.). This establishes the over all completeness of an individual and whether or not more than one individual is present (MNI - minimum number of individuals) in the material submitted for analysis. A more detailed examination establishes the age range (i.e. 20-30 years) at the time of death, time since death (depending on preservation), race, age, sex, stature, gross pathologies, cause of death (trauma), and unique traits that may be genetic or culturally induced (Buikstra and Ubelaker 1994; Burns 1999; Gill and Rhine 1990; Krogman 1939; Stewart 1979). If necessary, further analysis may include X-rays, CAT scans, chemical analyses, DNA tests and facial reconstructions. Additional analyses involving taphonomy reveal what happened to the human remains after placement. This includes insect, animal or environmental factors that leave evidence upon the remains (Maples and Browning 1994; Stewart 1979). It is the goal of these detailed analyses to determine the identity of the remains as well as to reconstruct the events just prior to death and since death.

Links
American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS)

American Board of Forensic Anthropology Inc. (ABFA)

Physicians For Human Rights (PHR)

General Forensic Information


References
Brooks, Sheilagh and Richard H. Brooks

1984 Problems of Burial Exhumation, Historical and Forensic Aspects, in Human Identification, edited by Rathbun, T.A. and Buikstra, J. E., pages 64-86, Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, IL.


Buikstra, J. E. and D.H. Ubelaker 1994 Standards for Data Collection from Human Skeletal Remains. Arkansas Archaeological Survey Research Series No. 44, Fayetteville

Burns, Karen R. 1999 Forensic Anthropology Training Manual. New Jersey, Prentice Hall, Inc.

Gill, G. W. and S. Rhine 1990 Skeletal Attribution of Race. Anthropological Papers No. 4. Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM.

Krogman, W. M. 1939 A Guide to the Identification of Human Skeletal Material. FBI Law Enforcement JournalV. 8, #8 pages 1- 29; August.

1962 The Human Skeleton in Forensic Medicine. Springfield, Illinois, Charles C. Thomas.

Maples, W. R. and M. Browning 1994 Dead Men Do Tell Tales. New York, Double Day.

Paher, Stanley W. 1971 Las Vegas: As it began - as it grew. Nevada Publications, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Roske, Ralph J.1986 Las Vegas, a Desert Paradise. Tulsa, Oklahoma, Continental Heritage Press, Inc.

Stewart, T. D. 1979 Essentials of Forensic Anthropology; especially as developed in the United States. Springfield, Illinois, Charles C. Thomas.