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Forensic Anthropology

45

The human skeleton anterior view

cranium clavicle mandible scapula sternum rib humerus vertebra radius

innominate sacrum ulna carpals metacarpals phalanges femur patella tibia fibula tarsals

metatarsals

Forensic Anthropology

46

The human skeleton posterior view

cranium clavicle mandible

scapula humerus vertebra ulna innominate sacrum cocyx

radius carpals metacarpals phalanges femur

fibula tibia 47

Forensic Anthropology

The human skeleton
The adult human skeleton contains 206 bones which vary in size from the almost microscopic ossicles of the inner ear to femora which may exceed
450 mm in length. This great variation in size is accompanied by similar variation in shape which makes identification of individual bones relatively straightforward. Some bones, however, are more difficult to identify than others, with the bones of the hands, feet, rib cage and vertebral column requiring closer scrutiny than the rest. This is true both within our species and between our species and other mammals. While it is very difficult to confuse a human femur with that from a large kangaroo, phalanges, metatarsals and metacarpals require greater expertise. Prior to epiphyseal union infant and juvenile skeletal elements may also prove problematic. This is particulary true where the infant bones are fragmentary and missing their articular surfaces. In part this is a reflection of experience as osteological collections contain relatively few subadult skeletons and they are less frequently encountered in forensic and anthropological investigations.
There are a number of excellent texts on human osteology and several of the more general texts on physical anthropology have a chapter devoted to the human skeleton and dentition. Reference books on human anatomy, for instance Warwick and Williams’s (1973) “Gray’s Anatomy”, and dental anatomy, for example