Forensic Anthropology - Exam #2

Anemia

Hemopoietic disorder that prevents oxygen uptake in red blood cells, most commonly through poor hemoglobin production due to a lack of iron intake or absorption

Indicators of Anemia

Common indicator of Iron deficiency anemia is porotic hyperostosis in the cranium; Another common sign of iron deficient anemia is cribra orbitalia which creates porotic lesions and ossification on the superior eye orbit

Harris Lines

thin, dense, lines in the growth plates created when biological growth is disturbed through malnutrition

Rickets

systemic disease created by insufficient vitamin D intake

Indicators of Rickets

Represented by malformation and bowing of bone in long bones and pelvis; Cranial malformations in periosteal deposition

Anisotropic

an object in which the direction of loading influences its strength properties

Kerf

wall and the floor of a cut mark

Light vs. Heavy (Kerfs)

Light blades leave a V-shaped incision if it contacts bone; Heavy blades will leave beveled marks with

irregular cut walls that can include radiating and concentric fractures

Scoliosis

congenital lateral curvature of the spine

Antemortem Trauma

trauma that occurred before death and contains partial or complete healing of the injury

Indicators of Antemortem Trauma

Resorption is characterized by porosity near the trauma; Remodeling is represented by blunt, rounded edges of the break or trauma; Final stage of bone remodeling is a callus, a raised, irregular shaped feature with a disorganized surface

Keyhole Effect

external beveling caused by the entry of a bullet at an angle to crania

Scurvy

disease created through prolonged insufficient Vitamin C absorption

Indicators of Scurvy

manifests as improper bone formation which can result in malformation in children; In adults it creates porous hypertrophic bone lesions

Auricular Surface

Located on the sacroiliac joint; “boomerang” shape

Kyphosis

congenital anterior concave bending of the thoracic vertebrae

Sex

The biological (physical and genetic) differences between male and female; not gender

Avulsion Fracture

a bone failure caused when a ligament is forcibly ripped from its attachment point, removing a portion of the bone

Lefort I Fractures

produced by a direct blow to the anterior of the alveolar process of the maxilla and separates the alveolar process from the maxillary body

Lefort II Fracture

created by direct blows and propagate triangularly across the maxilla, orbital floors, and nasal bones

Lefort III Fracture

caused by side impacts and transverse the upper orbits and nasal bones, separating the maxilla, nasals and zygomatics from the cranial vault

Sharp Force Trauma

trauma caused by a sharp, penetrating object or surface

Blunt Force Trauma

trauma caused by a blunt, non-penetrating object or surface

Leprosy

chronic infection caused by Mycobacterium leprae

Indication of Leprosy

Skeletal involvement leads to progressive concentric atrophy of the tubular bones of the hands and feet as well as maxillary and nasal regions of the midface

Skeletal Pathology

the study of the effects of disease, chronic illness, genetic conditions or cancer on the skeletal system

Complete Fracture

a fracture in which the broken ends of bone separate

Perimortem Trauma

trauma that occurred around the time of death and lacks bone remodeling and may help identify the cause of death

Indicators of Perimortem Trauma

Sharp edges on the fracture lines of bone; Hinging in which the bone is bent away from the direction of force; Formation of radiating fracture lines from point of impact; Staining from the hematoma created by impact; Angled, jagged surfaces on broken ends of bone

Skeletal Trauma

the disruption, and ultimately the failure, of the bone at the macro and/or microscopic level, resulting

from an impact with an object or surface; High-Velocity and Low-Velocity

Contrecoup Fracture

A secondary cranial fracture created by blunt force trauma when the recoil pushes the skull against another object or surface

Periostitis

a bacterial infection of the periosteum

Spiral Fracture

torsion fracture of bone creating a rotating fracture line

Craniometric

measurements of features of the skull using statistical analysis to evaluate cranial variation

Porotic Hyperostosis

spongy, porous bone legions often linked with anemia or malnutrition

Stature

the living height of an individual

Cribra Orbitalia

porotic lesions and ossification on the superior eye orbit

Postmortem Trauma

trauma that occurred after death as a result of depositional or taphonomic processes

Indicators of Postmortem Trauma

produces clean breaks with multiple fragments; The broken surface will generally be lighter in color; Characterized by dry bone fracture patterns

Stress Fracture

tiny cracks in the bone caused by repetitive force

Degenerative Joint Disease

A.K.A. osteoarthritis; Breakdown of articular cartilage, reactive bone formation in the subchondral compact bone and trabecula, and new growth of cartilage and bone at the joint margins

Preauricular Sulcus

groove located on the margins of the superior auricular surface (near the greater sciatic notch); sex estimation

Subadult

any individual whose skeleton has not completed skeletal or dental development

Dental Morphometrics

measurements of the shape and size of features of the teeth using statistical analysis to evaluate dental variation

Pubic Symphysis

a cartilaginous joint connecting the left and right pubic bones at the front of the pelvis

Subpubic Contour

the shape of ischiopubic ramus; In females it has a large concavity, while males have a have convex orientations

Enamel Hypoplasia

lines of arrested development due to food shortages or stress in childhood in teeth

Osteoma

benign osteoblastic tumors in the lamellar bone

Syphilis

chronic bacterial diseasecaused Treponema pallidum

Indicators of Syphilis

Creates crater-like lesions with radiating lines; Skeletal involvement targets areas with minimal overlying soft tissue

Epiphyseal Union

Epiphyses fuse to the diaphysis in a regular sequence and at known age intervals; Age of death is estimated in subadults by assessing which epiphyses are present and scoring the degree of fusion (none, partial, or complete)

Osteomyelitis

a bacterial infection of the bone tissue

Tuberculosis

chronic infection created by Mycobacterium tuberculosis resulting in respiratory tract and lymph node infections

Indicators of Tuberculosis

creates bone caries and localized destruction of bone; Can lead to spinal collapse called tuberculous spondylitis

Fatigue Fracture

a failure caused by intermittent stress over a long period of time; Most common in vertebrae

Osteoporosis

bone disease that results in thinner, less dense bone

Ventral Arc

the shape of the ventral surface of the pubis; Angular ventral arcs associated with females while

males have smooth articulations

Gender

The expectations of thought and behavior that each culture assigns to particular groups of people, usually based on perceived sex differences

Osteosarcoma

malignant tumor most commonly found in the diaphysis of appendages near the growth plate

Greenstick Fracture

a break in bone in where separation between the broken ends does not occur

Rheumatoid Arthritis

a pathological autoimmune response that destroys joint tissue; More common in females than males

Indicators of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Key identifier is that it affects multiple joints and is typically symmetrical