Correlation between the lenghts of the long bones of the forearm and the fibula with body height in our population

Abstract

Background/Aim. The task of a forensic examiner during exhumation of skeletal remains is to calculate antemortem height of a person whose skeletal remains were found. Anthropological investigations which provided formulae for calculating ante-mortem body height date back from XIX or from the first half of XX centuries. The most commonly used formulae are those of Trotter- Gleser, which were used to investigate skeletal remains from the World War II. Those investigations were conducted on skeletal remains of various ages and degrees of decay. Our experience with exhumation have shown that the present formulae do not deliver reliable values of antemortem height. The aim of this study was to investigate if there is a correlation of the length of long bones of leg and forearm with body height within our population and to establish the formulae for calculating ante-mortem body height within our population based on the obtained values. Methods. The lengths of ulna, radius, fibula and tibia were determined precisely by measuring bones on living individuals using a digital X-ray system. The height of individuals whose bones were measured was determined using an anthropometer. Results. The highest degree of correlation between bone length and body height was found for tibia in males (r = 0.859, p < 0.005) and ulna in females (r = 0.679, p < 0.05). We calculated the regression formulae for determination of ante-mortem body height that differ from the current body height formulae. Conclusion. In our population the length of long bones of the forearm and the leg are characterized by various degree of correlation with body height. The formulae that we set, make less distinction between the measured and the calculated body height as compared with the Trotter-Gleser formulae. We do hope that their implementation will facilitate identification of sceletal remains in our population.

Keywords

• forensic medicine
• antropology
• body height
• radius
• ulna
• tibia
• fibula