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Assignment 1 Unit 14 - Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology
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A Distinction-graded assignment about the role of a forensic anthropologist and forensic archaeologist in a forensic investigation.
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Unit 14 Assignment A- Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology in Forensic InvestigationsAimee Baish
The role of a forensic anthropologist
Forensic anthropologists are people who study human remains. They specialise in examining human
remains to look for any Ante-Mortem (before death), Peri-Mortem (during or close to death) or
Post-Mortem (after death) injuries. A forensic anthropologist can also identify the age, sex, living
height and they can also identify any trauma to the bones, they begin to do this after cleaning the
bones. They can do this in many ways. They use different measuring devices, tools, and other special
devices to analyse the bones. They can also analyse any marks on the bones to find out whether it
was caused by blunt force trauma sharp force trauma or other methods. They will usually do this
when the situation is deemed suspicious and for law enforcement organisations. P1 Anth
Types of injuries
Ante-Mortem injuries could be stab wounds that didn’t kill the victim (injuries from weapons), which
is suspicious trauma, any previously broken bones, and any deformities from musculoskeletal
disorders (like arthritis (rheumatoid and osteoarthritis), brittle bones disease, and osteoporosis).
Peri-Mortem injuries would be injuries that caused the death so suspicious trauma or injuries from
weapons.
Post-Mortem injuries would be any more suspicious trauma that happened after the victim died or
any pseudo-trauma.
Pseudo-trauma is where an animal like a fox or a wolf, starts to eat the body and leaves teeth marks
in the bones.
Blunt-force trauma is where a blunt object is used cause injury to a person. If on a bone it tends to
leave a dent, instead of a hole or other marks.
Sharp-force trauma is where a sharp object causes injury to a person, and usually leaves a small hole
or mark, unlike the mark that would be left by blunt-force trauma.
Tools the forensic anthropologist uses
Measuring tools –
-Callipers (can be called vernier callipers) are used to measure the proportions of an object, in this
case bones, it is a tool which has two ‘jaws,’ one of which is hinged, that you use to clasp onto the
bone you are measuring, then with the ruler on the main body, you will get a reading of the length
you measured. Callipers are highly calibrated and fairly accurate meaning that they are quite a
precise tool. Callipers usually measure in centimetres (cm).
-Anthropometers are tools which are used for measuring limbs and the torso of human remains,
however, it can measure every straight dimension of human remains. It has two horizonal ‘arms,’
one can be moved, and the other is fixed, which are connected to a vertical rod, and on the movable
arm there is a ruler present to be able to read the measurement needed. These are usually
calibrated and pretty accurate meaning that these are precise. Anthropometers usually measure in
centimetres (cm).
, -Rulers are used to measure the length, width and sometimes breadth of a bone, but it can be used
to measure many different things about the remains. These are usually long pieces or wood, metal,
or plastic with measuring increments on marked on them to tell you what length the measurement
is. However, these are not exactly accurate, and aren’t calibrated so these tools aren’t precise.
Rulers usually measure in centimetres (cm) and millimetres (mm).
- Boley Gauges are dental tools made from metal used to measure teeth, holes or other things like
trauma or dents on the bones, it works a lot like a calliper except the ruler on a Boley gauge is in
millimetres (mm). It also has two ends, a flat end which is a lot like the calliper and is better for
linear measurements, and then a more bulb shaped end which is better for gaps, holes, or dents.
Like the calliper, these are highly calibrated and fairly accurate meaning that they are precise tools.
-Osteometric Boards are horizontal and oblong boards with 2 vertical walls, one is fixed in place and
the other is movable. These are used to measure the length of bones, usually longer bones, but can
be used for any length of bone. It includes a ruler on the main portion of the board so that you can
read and take note of the length of the bone, these are usually centimetre (cm) rulers. These are
made from plastic (usually) and are highly calibrated and somewhat accurate so are precise tools.
Tools-
-Hammers are tools which usually have wooden handles and metal heads. These are usually used to
break something or to find out if that was the tool which made the dent/mark in the bone.
-Drills may be used to access bone marrow in a bone, so that you can carry our DNA profiling from
the mitochondrial DNA that is found in your bone marrow.
Cutting Tools-
-Electrical surgical bone saws are used to cross sections of bone, to examine them for any internal
deformities like osteoporosis which causes weaker bones (seen by more holey bones), or any issues
with bone marrow, or even whether trauma has gone through to the bone marrow.
-Knives can be used to cut through bone marrow, or to cut a sample of bone marrow, it wouldn’t be
sharp enough to cut through bone itself though.
-Grinder can be used to grind bones up for DNA analysis, so that the DNA in the bones can be sent
off for analysis.
Magnifiers-
-Glasses used to see things up close, but you would only be able to see any damage or trauma to the
bones better, you wouldn’t get up close to any cells like you would with a microscope.
-Microscopes used to see things even more close, for example, you could see the bacteria in dirt on
the bone, or you could look at the bone marrow to look for any problems.
Other Devices-
-Photography is used to keep a log of what they are seeing, however it can also be useful for looking
at bones on a 1:1 scale, so that you can see the minute details of the bone, whether that be trauma,
dirt, previous breaks, or other small minute details.
-X-Ray is used when a body is being preserved, so the anthropologist can’t hold the bones and look
at them, as they are still inside the human body, so they use x-rays to look for any serious trauma
like breaks, or fractures.
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