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    Subadult Reading Estimation of Age

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    3 Ansichten10 Seiten

    Subadult Reading Estimation of Age at Death

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    cskwak19
    Subadult Reading Estimation of Age

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    46 Estimation of Age at Death "The estimation of age at death is the third demographic characteristic that aids law enforce- ment officials in narrowing their search of missing persons files for a match with human remains. Although roughly determinable from fully fleshed bodies using amount of skin wrinkling and hair graying, in the absence of written documentation, the most reliable methods for determining age at death from the human body rely on bone changes. Bones fre not static during life but constantly changing, albeit slowly and in tiny increments. Since these alterations follow a rough schedule, observance of characteristics known to change through time can be used to determine the age at death of deceased (and of living) persons. ‘Methods for determining age at death can be divided into those that are based on the ‘growing skeleton and dentition, and those based on the deteriorating skeleton. The first, Which deal with events such as ossification and fusion, are applicable to subadullts, from fe- tuses to older adolescents and even young adults. These yield relatively accurate estimates cof age, usually in the range of 1 to 3 years. However, starting in the time period between 18 and 25 years of age, the skeleton finishes maturation and begins a process of slow deteriora~ tion that continues throughout adulthood. Estimates of age based on these changes are not fas accurate of as easy to apply as are those for subadults, Thus, this chapter is divided into two main sections. The first deals with assigning age to the skeletons of persons approxi- mately 18 years of age or younger using features of the growing skeleton and dentition. The second section deals with methods for estimating the age of adults from the deterioration associated with aging in the skeleton. SUBADULTS ‘The growth of the human skeleton is a complex process that is not understood fully. “Available information indicates that bones form within cartilaginous precursors by the dep- sition of calcium salts, This occurs initially in multiple areas, called primary and secondary areas of ossification, which eventually grow together forming larger segments (e.g., diaphy- ses, epiphyses). When these areas of ossification unite, bone growth proceeds in earnest. Long bones grow to their adult length by deposition of osseous material at their ends under the epiphyseal caps, Ata mostly genetically predetermined time, the epiphy'ses fuse to the diaphyses (at the metaphyses), causing growth to cease. Other bones grow by apposition over all surfaces (e.g,, those of the wrist and ankles), while the skull grows along the edges of its bones at the suture lines. Estimation of Age at Death : Tho Estimation of Age of an Ado! Anthony Perzigian and Paul Jolly (1984) present case in which multiple indicators were used to determine the age at death of a skeletonized body recovered in 1977 from rural Ohio. The complete skeleton was present, so the sex of the person could be determined to be female from the configuration of the pelvis and skll in addition, the presence of long, straight brown hair indicated 2 person of White ances: try; and the long bones provided @ measure ment of stature of around 5 feet, 3t0 4 inches. In addition to these demographic characters tics, Perzigian and Jolly wished to develop as precise an approximation of age as possible from the osteological evdence. The estimation of age at death could be | derived from the sources discussed in this | chapter. First, all adult teeth, except the third medial epicondyle, proximal radius, and wina) and knee (ve, distal femur, proximal tibia, and fibula) also were fully fused, indicating an age (of 14 to 17. Conversely, only partial fusion was seen in the distal radius end vina, the femoral head, the distal tibia, and the acromion and coracoid process of the scapula; these indicat fed an age over 13 but less than 17, Other epi- pphyses showing partial union also indicated an age less than 17. Finally, no suture closure was seen in the skull corroborating the previous in- dications that the person had not reached adulthood (.e., was less than 18 years of age), By using several decison tables, Pezigian and Joly were able to narrow the age down to between 16 and 17 years at death. When the Femains were finally identified, it was deter ‘mined that the gil had just missed reaching her | molar, were fully erupted and in their final seventeenth birthday wien she was strangled by | place, indicating an age of over 12 years. a convicted murderer Ths case is2 fine example Second, all three bones of each os coxa were of how the use of multiple indicators increases | fused, indicating an age over 13, Similarly the the accuracy of estimates of age at death. epiphyses of the elbow (i.e, distal humerus, In addition to bone, teeth also grow by deposition of hard tissue in open areas called crypts. This process starts at the tips of the cusps and proceeds toward the roots. When the crown is formed fully and the root is approximately half of its final length, the continuous deposition of material to the tips of the roots causes the tooth to push its way out of its crypt, through the bone nearest its occlusal surface and through the ‘gum. The root continues to grow until the tooth is fully erupted and settled into its nat- ‘ural position within the jaw. Knowledge of these events and the schedule by which they occur has been used. by anthropologists for many decades to determine the age at death of subadults from their skeletons and teeth. Also, because multiple structures can be used for this pur- pose, this demographic characteristic can be roughly estimated if only one structure is present or precisely estimated if the entire skeleton is present (see Box 1 for an exam- ple of the accuracy possible from multiple indicators), To elucidate these methods, this section is divided into five parts. The first part deals with determining age from the lengths of long bones. Because size differences between the sexes and ancestral groups are less in subadults than in adults, this method is useful with infants and young children (i.e., age 10 and under). The second part deals with determining age from the union between primary and secondary centers of ossification. Although there are a large number of these, only those most likely to be found in a forensie sit- uation will be discussed. The third part outlines the stages of tooth formation within the crypts, and the fourth part presents the timetable by which teeth erupt from the jaws. Finally, the last part deals with the schedule for the union of epiphyses with their associated bones. 47 48 Estimation of Age at Death Length of femoral diphysi (nm) vi wo Lunar month FIGURE 1 Chart showing relationship botween femora shaft length nd fetal age. Modes trom Figure 31, Chapter, Gredwoh’s Lega Medicine (09761 p.117) Long Bone Lengths ‘The remains from prenatal, natal, and early postnatal infants can be determined from the lengths of their long bones (Stewart, 1979), Although differences in size coast between subadults from different ancestral groups and sexes, fetal size up to the time of birth shows less variation among groups than do their adult counter parts. Because divergence in size accelerates postnatally the lengths of fetal, infant, ead child long bones are only reasonably accurate indicators of age until around 10 years. From the time of their first appearance and up to birth, the relationship between age and long bone length appears linear, Measurements of the femoral shaft (without the epiphyseal ends) on three separate populations (American, French, Hungarian) all yield a graph similar to that presented in Figure 1, Notice that the line drawn on the chart is straight (indicating the linear relationship just mentioned}: This chart can bbe used to determine the age of fetal and infant remains up to 1 month after birth by finding the lunar month that corresponds to the length of @ femur from an individual of unknown age. For example, a TABLE 1_ Lengths of Long Bones In femur of 50 mm indicates that the fetus was in its seventh Terms of Percentage of Femur month of development. If only other long limb bones are pres- EEE ent, age can be estimated by knowing their relationship with “Bone __ Percentage of Femur_ the femur; these relationships, given in Table can be used to Tibia 398 determine the probable femoral length, which then can be used Fibula 846 in Figure 1 to determine age. For example, fa tibia is discov- ee ae ‘ced that is 68 mm in length, its associated femur would have a Ae boon approximately 70 mim (63/0.899 = 70.1), which indicates 7 ‘an age between 9 and 10 months. Radius Be ‘After birth, long limb bone length becomes a less reliable

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