Estimation of stature from cephalo-facial anthropometry in north Indian population

Abstract

Estimation of stature is considered as an important parameter in medico-legal and forensic examinations. When highly decomposed and mutilated dead bodies with fragmentary remains are brought for postmortem examination, it becomes difficult to identify the deceased. Sometimes, cephalo-facial remains are brought in for forensic and postmortem examination. In such a situation, estimation of stature becomes equally important along with other parameters like age, sex, race, etc. (the ‘Big Four’ of forensic anthropology). The present investigation attempts to estimate stature from various anthropometric measurements of cephalo-facial region of individuals belonging to an endogamous group in north India. The material for the present study comprises 996 adult male Gujjars of north India ranging in age from 18 to 30 years. Five cephalo-facial measurements were taken on each subject following internationally recommended standard methods and techniques. The results indicate that all the cephalo-facial measurements are strongly and positively correlated (p < 0.001) with stature. The measurements of the cephalic region have strong correlation with stature than those of facial region. The regression analysis also showed that the cephalic measurements give better prediction of stature. The regression formulae were checked for their accuracy and reliability not only in the sample which was originally used for making these formulae (genetically disparate population, n = 996) but also in a mixed population of north India (heterogeneous population, n = 100).

Introduction

Estimation of stature is an important tool in forensic examination especially in unknown, highly decomposed, fragmentary and mutilated human remains. In such cases while conducting a medico-legal autopsy, forensic pathologist is often asked to opine about the identity of the deceased. Stature being one of the criteria of personal identification helps in narrowing down the investigation process, and thus provides useful clues to the investigating agency.

Stature has a definite and proportional biological relationship with each and every part of the human body, i.e. head, face, trunk, extremities. This relationship helps a forensic scientist to calculate stature from dismembered and mutilated body parts in forensic examinations. For such a calculation, two methods, i.e. regression method and multiplication method have been extensively used by the scientists all over the world, and it has been universally concluded that the regression analysis provides best estimates for stature reconstruction [1], [2], [3], [4], [5].

Many studies have been conducted on the estimation of stature from various body parts like hands, trunk, intact vertebral column, upper and lower limbs, individual long and short bones, foot and footprints [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21], [22], [23], [24], [25], [26], [27], [28], [29], [30], [31], [32], [33], [34], [35], [36], [37], [38], [39]. Since all these parts of the body and bones are not always available for forensic examination, it becomes necessary to make use of other parts of the body like head and face region. But only a few studies have been conducted on cephalo-facial region with respect to estimation of stature.

There are plenty of studies which focus on other aspects of the cephalo-facial identification. Determination of sex and race from cephalic region, various methods of reconstructing the face appearance in an individual from the bones of the skull, new facial soft tissue depth data, ultrasound, computerized tomography-scans, 3D reconstruction computer programs are in full development throughout the world [40], [41], [42], [43], [44], [45], [46], [47], [48], [49], [50], [51], [52]. In many cases, brought for medico-legal and forensic examinations, where only the cephalo-facial region is available [53], [54], [55], [56], [57], [58], [59], [60], [61], [62], [63], [64], [65], [66], [67], [68], it becomes difficult for the forensic scientist to identify the deceased in the absence of any detailed and in depth study on this region. Sometimes, the forensic scientist cannot apply the techniques of facial reconstruction may be due to lack of expertise, standardized data and equipment. In these cases, stature estimation from the cephalo-facial region can always supplement the identification data collected by using the techniques of facial reconstruction, and consequently can help in narrowing down the process of forensic investigation.

Introna et al. [69] provided the correlation between stature and cranial diameters and proposed a mathematical formula for determination of living stature in an Italian population. Chiba and Terazawa [70] successfully estimated stature from anthropometry of skull in 124 Japanese cadavers and calculated regression formulae. Patil and Mody [71] predicted stature from measurements of radiographic lateral cephalogram in central Indian population and proposed some formulae by regression analysis. Krishan and Kumar [72] calculated regression formulae for estimation of stature from 16 cephalo-facial measurements in a sample of 252 Koli male adolescents in north India. Ryan and Bidmos [73] took several measurements on skulls taken from 99 complete skeletons of indigenous South Africans from Raymond A. Dart collection, and successfully derived regression formulae for estimation of total skeletal height from these skull measurements. They also explained the utility of these measurements in estimation of stature with certain precautions.

Looking at the paucity of studies pertaining to estimation of stature from cephalo-facial dimensions and the usefulness of these studies in medico-legal and forensic investigations, the present study provides anthropometric correlation of five important cephalo-facial dimensions with stature and also devises regression formulae for reconstruction of stature from these dimensions. The study is further aimed to test the reliability and accuracy of regression formulae in the same population which was originally used to make these formulae and in another sample taken from mixed population of north India.