1- forensic anthro chapter 1 PDF

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1) Forensic anthropology developed from biological anthropology. Who was the founding father? What are the three main periods of development for Forensic Anthropology as a field. What are some of the most pivotal events within each of those periods?

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Thomas Dwight = father of forensic anthropology in the US Formative Period: Early 1800s to 1938 o Parkman murder o Parkman. This prominent physician purportedly was killed by a Harvard University chemistry professor named John W. Webster. Webster had borrowed money from Parkman but committed murder rather than repay the debt. Webster then dismembered Parkman’s body, placing segments in his anatomy lab and privy (similar to a septic tank) and burning the head in a furnace. Holmes and Wyman, with the help of their anatomy colleagues, were able both to reassemble the body and to determine that it was a 5-foot 101⁄2inch White male who was between 50 and 60 years old when he died. o Anthropology (p. 4). Taylor and Francis. Kindle Edition. o Luetgert case: Adolph Luetgert was accused of killing his wife Louisa and placing her body in a vat of potash located in his sausage factory. The body dissolved leaving only a greasy jelly, four small pieces of bone, and a ring belonging to Mrs. Luetgert. Dorsey was able to prove that the four fragments were from a human hand, foot, and rib. o o

the Ruxton case from Great Britain. Isabella Van Ess, the commonlaw wife of physician Buck Ruxton, and Mary Rogerson, Ms. Van Ess’s personal maid. The disappearance of the women from the Ruxton home in Lancaster occurred around the same time that foul odors were described as emanating from the Ruxton residence. Also at this time, Dr. Ruxton rented a car, and stated that his wife and her maid had taken a vacation. When the dismembered, mutilated, and decomposed bodies of two persons were recovered from a gully in Scotland, the authors undertook to reassemble the body parts and place them in positions similar to those of photographs of the women when alive. The disappearance of the women from the Ruxton home in Lancaster occurred around the same time that foul odors were described as emanating from the Ruxton residence. Also at this time, Dr. Ruxton rented a car, and stated that his wife and her maid had taken a vacation. When the dismembered, mutilated, and decomposed bodies of two persons were recovered from a gully in Scotland, the authors undertook to reassemble the body parts and place them in positions similar to those of photographs of the women when alive.

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Consolidation Period: 1939 to 1971 o T Dale stewart o First, during World War II, the bodies of o Second- skeletal identification was the Korean War. Modern Period: 1972 to Present o the Physical Anthropology Section in the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) met for the first time in 1972 o Five years later, the American Board of Forensic Anthropology (ABFA) was created with the purpose of ensuring the competence of persons who practice FA o Forensic Anthropology Data Bank at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and the founding of the Scientific Working Group for Forensic Anthropology (Swganth). -- then computer database for info on modern skeletons o o o

2) What are the main methods of gathering data relevant to forensic anthropology?

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Data -Gatheringfour types: anthroposcopic, osteometric, chemical, and histologic. Each of these methods use one or more of the scales of measurement codified by Stanley Smith Stevens (1946): nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. Anthroposcopy is the visual inspection of the human body, sometimes with the aid of x-rays (radiographs) or a hand-held lens, for the purpose of identifying traits of a qualitative (i.e., nominal or ordinal scale) nature. Because it is the most accessible (i.e., does not require special instruments), it is the most common method used by forensic anthropologists to determine various characteristics of a skeleton. Osteometry is the measurement of human bone on a quantitative scale (usually millimeters and centimeters) using calipers or an osteometric board (see Figure 1.5). Metric methods, as they often are called, attempt to quantify (using ratio level scales) many of the anthroposcopic characteristics helpful in the identification of aspects of the skeleton. Thus, forensic anthropologists will often take measurements to determine ancestry, sex, age, stature, and other characteristics of a living person from their skeletal remains. Chemical methods involve analyzing the chemical makeup of certain structures of the skeleton and associated matter (e.g., the ground beneath a decomposing body). These methods involve sampling matter and applying special techniques to determine their nature.

Histology is the study of the microstructure of bone and teeth. This usually involves cutting off thin slices and staining them for viewing under a microscope to determine demographic characteristics (especially age).     o

3) The Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE) were passed in 1975. What are they and what is encompassed in Rule 702? 2. Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE) – The FRE were passed in 1975 as a means “to secure fairness in administration, elimination of unjustifiable expense and delay, and promotion of growth and development of the law of evidence to the end that the truth may be ascertained and proceedings justly determined.” Although it contains numerous rules, the most important for the forensic sciences is Rule 702, which states: If scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue, a witness qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education, may testify thereto in the form of an opinion or otherwise, if (1) the testimony is based upon sufficient facts or data, (2) the testimony is the product of reliable principles and methods, and (3) the witness has applied the principles and methods reliably to the facts of the case. The “trier of fact” is the jury or trial judge, and this rule was written to provide the court with general criteria on which to base a decision as to the admissibility of experts and their testimony. Notice that Rule 702 not only recognizes the importance of the experience of the expert providing testimony, but also that the expert’s testimony is based on data and methods that are supported scientifically. Just as importantly, notice that it does not include the “general acceptance” criterion. 4) Why is Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Inc, considered a landmark case? What are the five guidelines that need to be considered by the court to determine if a scientific technique is admissible or not? 3. Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. – This case, called Daubert for short, was brought against the Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Company by parents of children with birth defects. In it, they allege that an anti-nausea drug taken by the mother of Jason Daubert, and manufactured by the company, caused that child’s birth defects. (Another minor child, Eric Schuller, was a codefendant.) In 1993, the Supreme Court heard the case as a means of determining the standard(s) for the admission of scientific evidence in federal court. This case helped reduce the influence of the “general acceptance” criterion (but did not eliminate it) when it agreed with the lawyers for Daubert and Schuller

that the FRE had superseded Frye. The opinion helped interpret the FRE when it noted that, for a scientific theory or technique to be admissible, five guidelines needed to be considered by the court: 1. The theory or technique can be (and has been) tested 2. It has been subjected to peer review and publication 3. It has a known or potential error rate 4. It has standards controlling its operation 5. It has attracted widespread acceptance within a relevant scientific community. An important part of this ruling is its insistence on flexibility in these criteria; that is, they are not absolute preconditions for the acceptance of expert testimony by the court, but guidelines to be considered by the trial judge.

5) What are the main data analysis methods used by forensic anthropologists? 1. Decision Matrix 1. Consider options and who they differ b. Indexes 1. Ex: nasal index; ratio of nasal breadth to nasal length b. Range chart 1. Compare info from multiples sources to arrive at a single estimate (several diff methods to get data b. Statistical techniques (Bayesian) 1. Ex: discriminant function - quantitative data to discriminate 2 or more groups 2. Statsitcal procedure can classify unknown people and the probability of their classification into certain groups (ex: sex, ancestral group) 6)

What do forensic anthropologists do in a criminal investigation?

7) What is SWGANTH? SWGANTH was founded in 2008 by the FBI and Department of Defense Central Identification Lab (DOD CIL) to recommend “best practices' ' in the discipline. With the greater emphasis on verifying methods and their error rates in the forensic disciplines in general (see discussion of Daubert below), this working group is in the process of identifying and modifying existing standards, and developing standards where they do not exist. The ultimate goal is to write guidelines for the methods and make them available to all practicing forensic anthropologists. Since this body was created, guidelines have been issued and are being published on their website

8) What are the two general criteria used to determine death according to the Uniform Determination Death Act? What is the clinical definition of death?  Legal: Uniform Determination of Death  1- Do not resisitate (DNR) o No CPR, cardiac drugs, or breathing tube  2- Do not incubate (DNI) o allow s cPR and cardiac drugs but no breathing tube  AND allow natural death-suresues only comfort measures designed to control pain are taken -- includes withholding treatments that will prolong the dying process  Clinical death: medical term for cessation of breath and blood circulation (cardiac arrest) or injuries so severe that resuscitation is impossible -- not necessarily permanent o DOA- dead on arrival or on scene o Presumptive death- if a body is not found 9) 

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How do Medical Examiners and Coroners differ?

Medical examiner: official trained and board certified in pathology that investigates deaths that are violent or unusual. Usually performs post-mortem examinations, sometimes initiates inquiries. Coroners: usually lay people, sometimes trained in law but they have no forensic background or medical training, no certification. In some places the coroner does the duties of a medical examiner. Medical examiners and coroners are persons who have the legal responsibility to certify the deaths of people dying within their jurisdiction when not in the care of a physician. Coroners are elected officials who may, or may not, have medical training, while medical examiners are licensed physicians who have specialized in forensic work.

10) According to the 1954 Medical Post-Mortem Examination Act, forensic examinations or autopsies should be carried out under what circumstances? Autopsy- to determine cause of death 1954 Medical Post Mortem Examination Act: forensic examination recommended if deaths are o 1- violent o 2- sudden/unexpected o 3- suspicious o 4- employment related o 5- bodies that will be created, buried at seas or unavoidable for later examination o 6- prison and psychiatric death

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7- any death that might constitute a threat to public public health...