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PubMed1983

[Possibilities of metric sex determination from the pars petrosa ossis temporalis].

Based on a sample of petrous bones of known sex (47 males and 47 females) discriminant functions were worked out for sexing both uncremated and cremated petrous bones. Classification values were certain to range from 70.2% to 76.6% for uncremated petrosals and from 67.0% to 73.4% for cremated ones. The results do not support the more promising values suggested by Wahl (1981).

Adult↗
PubMed2001

[The graves of well-known dermatologists].

The location and condition of the graves of 48 famous dermatologists are identified. Brief personal data is presented for all the physicians. In seven instances, more detailed information about the dermatologists and their tombstones is provided to illustrate the value of graves as culture sites worthy of both honor and preservation.

Dermatology↗
PubMed2002

Trace elements in buried human bones: intra-population variability of Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios--diet or diagenesis?

A comparative analysis of trace element data of human skeletal material from four archaeological sites is presented. We show that the state of histomorphological preservation of bone, which is a measurement for the degree of its diagenetic alteration, closely corresponds to the Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios at an intra-population level. This study challenges the validity of dietary studies that are based on the presently used procedures for sample preparation and subsequent evaluation of strontium and barium concentrations.

Barium↗
PubMed2003

Decomposition of buried corpses, with special reference to the formation of adipocere.

The unrestrained decomposition of a corpse involves the consecutive processes of autolysis, putrefaction and decay. Ideally, decomposition is completed within the regular resting time (15-25 years) and leads to the entire skeletalisation of the corpse. Adipocere, a greyish fatty substance formed during decomposition, is regarded as a spontaneous inhibition of post-mortem changes; it makes the corpse almost entirely resistant to decomposition and makes it impossible to use the same graves again. This creates problems for local governments with regard to the generally growing demand for burial ground. Apart from corpse-specific characteristics (e.g. sex, age, physique, cause of death), method of burial (e.g. material of the coffin, depth of grave, individual or mass grave, clothing) and time of burial, the conditions of the resting place (geology, topography, soil properties and frequency of use, air, water, and heat budget), in particular, have a special impact on adipocere formation. This study summarises the present knowledge on this phenomenon, combining results gained both in forensic medicine and in geosciences.

Cadaver↗
PubMed2004

[Paleopathological skeleton findings. Macroscopical and radiographical studies of 364 individuals from a medieval graveyard].

Paleopathological examinations can give an idea of diseases and living conditions in ancient populations. An archaeological collection of 364 late medieval/early modern skeletons from the thirteenth to eighteenth centuries, excavated from a church cemetery in the Rostock town center, was examined palaeopathologically. The type and frequency of certain diseases within this north German urban population are described. The majority of the skeletons were from adults with a remarkably low percentage of children. Skeletal malformations (e.g. gap formations of the spinal column) were not abnormally represented. With the exception of single individuals, metabolic disorders or unusual infectious diseases could not be diagnosed. Degenerative diseases often found at the joints and the spinal column showed substantially lower prevalences in comparison with reference rural populations. Individual cases of benign and rare malignant neoplasms could be documented. Traumatic injuries as well as dental pathological changes were rare. In summary it can be concluded that the individuals buried here belonged to a better social class within the medieval population of Rostock.

Bone and Bones↗
PubMed2002

Genetic analysis of human remains from a double inhumation in a frozen kurgan in Kazakhstan (Berel site, Early 3rd Century BC).

The discovery of a big barrow of the Saka period in eastern Kazakhstan between the Russian and the Chinese borders provided the opportunity to excavate a frozen burial site. In the burial chamber, there was a wooden sarcophagus with two human bodies. The skeletons of these two individuals, a man and a woman, were well preserved. A genetic study based on STRs and mitochondrial DNA analyses was undertaken in order to determine whether these human remains belonged to close relatives. Results were obtained for all the markers. Nevertheless, nuclear STRs did not allow a clear conclusion concerning the relationship, but analysis of mitochondrial DNA showed that these skeletons were not close relatives.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Pressure sores: epidemiology, medico-legal implications and forensic argumentation concerning causality.

The aim of the present investigation was to identify the frequency and grading of pressure sores in a large series of unselected consecutive deceased subjects before cremation and to discuss aspects of the forensic argumentation concerning causality. A total of 10,222 corpses were examined prospectively over a 1-year-period (1998) for the occurrence, localization and grading of pressure sores. Epidemiological aspects (e.g. age, sex, underlying and contributing causes of death, place of death etc.) were taken from the death certificate. The mean prevalence of pressure sores was 11.2% (87.1% isolated sores; predominant localization of advanced grades on the sacrum in 69.6%). There was a positive correlation between the prevalence of sores and advanced age resulting in a clear female predominance in the age group of 80 years and over because of differences in life expectancy. A significant correlation was found between the prevalence of pressure sores and certain underlying diseases, e.g. trauma, senile dementia, neurological diseases, apoplexy and marasmus. Pressure sores of all grades were more frequently found in the deceased when a senior citizen's or nursing home was given on the death certificate as the domicile in the last period of life. The forensic argumentation for the causal relationship of a pressure sore as the focus of fatal infectious complications or septicemia has to be based on the results of clinical expertises and forensic investigations (evaluation of the institutional documentation of the patient's course, autopsy findings, histology, immunohistochemistry). The vast majority of physicians seem to pay only little attention to the potentially fatal outcome of pressure sores and fatalities associated with this condition are clearly underreported. From the point of view of social medicine, the prevalence of pressure sores in a defined population can be seen as a parameter for the quality of nursing and medical care. In bringing these fatalities to light, the field of legal medicine contributes to a general quality control of standards of nursing and medical care.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1983

Some questions of identity: late miscarriage, stillbirth and perinatal loss.

This paper examines some of the attitudes and procedures which de-construct the identities of a mother and baby when loss occurs through late miscarriage, stillbirth and perinatal loss. Various factors which play a part in a woman's acceptance of her loss are explored, such as contact with the dead baby, formal and 'informal' ritual and early hospital discharge. Ways in which hospitals deal with and define these losses are looked at. It is suggested that all-too-often there seems to be no physical or psychological space for a maternity case without a baby. Is she a mother or is she a patient? The findings suggest that both roles may be lost simultaneously. The dead baby is usually whisked away and the bereaved woman sent back to the community with what feels like indecent haste. Birth and death seem to cancel out. Definitional ambiguities and anomalies about the status of the baby are examined and common sense views about 'hierarchies of sadness' are discussed. This study challenges existing assumptions about the way in which some babies are seen by the professionals as 'lesser' losses, and looks at the implications of these perceptions. The findings are based upon interviews with health professionals in four London hospitals; and a series of in-depth interviews with bereaved parents.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗
PubMed1992

Forensic archaeology as mortuary anthropology.

This paper argues that forensic anthropology is more than just physical anthropology, but should incorporate several subdisciplinary perspectives into a framework of mortuary anthropology. The advantage of this holistic approach is to provide context for the primary roles of physical anthropologists; identification of victims, and assessing manner of death. Mortuary anthropology provides information on processes of disposal and site formation, including the regularity, sequencing, and timing of events, which is complementary to the traditional roles of physical anthropologists. A call is made for more widespread application of this perspective.

Anthropology, Cultural↗
PubMed1988

Mortuary technicians in Western Australia.

After a long and protracted history of quasi-professional assistance to forensic and clinical pathologists, mortuary technicians are gaining recognition and an improvement in status in an unusual and unique vocation.

Curriculum↗