Osteological collections are an important resource for the development of methods to assist in the study of skeletal remains in archeological and/or forensic contexts. The aim is to describe the current characteristics of the Identified Skeletal Collection of the School of Legal Medicine and its historical context. The Identified Skeletal Collection of the School of Legal Medicine of the Complutense University of Madrid consists of 138 male and 95 female individuals, born between 1880 and 1980 and deceased between 1970 and 2009.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPre- and postnatal development and variability in discrete vertebral traits have been poorly described in embryonic studies. Numerous authors have reported that these variations are observable only from adolescence; scientific publications on the vertebrae of fetuses and infants are scarce. Thus, the aims of this study were to (1) describe the ontogeny and variability of anatomical variations in the vertebral column of a Spanish infant population and (2) analyze the frequency and relationship between sex, age, and intertrait variables.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis experimental study provides a further understanding of the post-burning nature of sharp force trauma. The main objective is to analyse the distortion that fire may inflict on the length, width, roughness, and floor shape morphology of toolmarks induced by four different implements. To this end, four fresh juvenile pig long bones were cut with a bread knife, a serrated knife, a butcher machete, and a saw.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSternal morphological variations differ among populations and are influenced by the interaction between inheritance, development, and environment. There are currently no studies that include all variability from a morphogenesis approach following a homogeneous definition. The aims of this study were (a) to develop a standardized method for the anatomical study of the sternum; (b) to analyze the prevalence of the morphological variations and their relationship between sex and age; (c) to compare the results with other populations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDistinguishing trauma from heat-induced fractures is a challenge faced by forensic anthropologists and pathologists during medicolegal investigations in which fire has been used by the perpetrators to destroy evidence. This paper aims to validate the provided identification features to distinguish between fire induced alterations and sharp force trauma. A total of 80 cremated adult individuals were used in this paper: 3 recently deceased embalmed cadavers from Cementerio Sur de Madrid for the sharp force trauma experiment in which 55 pre-burning injuries were inflicted using a machete and a serrated knife in different anatomical regions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDuring a homicide investigation in which fire has been used to reduce the size of the cadaver and conceal the evidence of injuries, the identification of perimortem trauma presents a challenge, in particular in cases when the perpetrator has dismembered the body followed by burning the remains. It is therefore important to understand the effects which heat causes on fresh bone. The aim of this paper is to perform a pilot study on the survival ratio of toolmarks in different anatomical regions associated with dismemberment, and a descriptive analysis of the variables that may potentially influence the post-burning survival and detection.
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