Somatoscopy technique of anthropology PDF

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Somatoscopy is a qualitative method using a descriptive characterization in evaluation of human body features...

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SOMATOSCOPY In physical anthropological study, particularly on the study of aspect of human evolution and variation, somatoscopy is an important conventional tool used by a number of physical anthropologists. Somatoscopy literally means observation of body (soma- body, and scopy – observe). ➢ So somatoscopy refers to qualitative expression of human body whether alive or death based on visual observation of different morphological traits. ➢ Somatoscopic traits are those traits which can be visibly observed and cannot be measured like skin colour, hair texture, etc. ➢ These observations are made on different parts of the body particularly on head and face because it is exposed and is the visible part of the body through which an individual can be easily identified. ➢ Most of the observations are neither quantifiable nor measurable but non metric in nature. ➢ The characters/traits – being qualitative in nature, there is a question of subjective judgment on the part of the investigator leading to some amount of inaccuracy. ➢ Therefore, the investigator must strive to attain the greatest precision in order to eliminate subjective judgment and be objective as far as possible. ➢ The study of somatoscopic observations are important for understanding variations among the individuals, for establishing a common morphological features for a group of individuals, a community or an ethnic group which itself is an objective of physical anthropology. ➢ Individual personal identification which is an indispensible task of forensic scientist is basically based on somatoscopic observation. Parameters for Somatoscopic observations • There are a number of parameters for which somatoscopic observations can be recorded under the purview of physical anthropology. • Some of the important somatoscopic observations often used by anthropologist for studying human variations are, observation of:

1. Skin colour 2. Nose (Root, Bridge & Septum) 3. Hair (Form & Texture) 4. Eye (Fold, Colour & Fissure) 5. Lip (Form & Eversion) Somatoscopic observations are carried out in broad daylight for accuracy.

Head and Face ➢ Circumference of head Head form can be of the following types: · · · · · · ·

Ellipsoid Pentagonoid Rhomboid Ovoid Sphenoid Spheroid Pear-shaped

Vertex: a) Curve: Flat, or Slight, or Medium, or Well-arched. b) Shape: Ovoid, or Pentagonoid, or Elliptical, or Spheroid. Occiput: a) Shape: Barrel-shaped, or Gable-shaped. b) Projection: Flat, or Moderately bulging, or Strongly bulging. Forehead: a) Height: Low, or Medium, or High. b) Breadth: Narrow, or Medium, or Broad. c) Slope: Absent, or Slight, or Medium, or Pronounced.

➢ Facial form Facial form can be of the following types: · · · · · · · · · ·

Elliptical Oval Inverted Oval Round Rectangular Quadrangular Rhomboid Trapezoid Inverted Trapezoid Pentangular

➢ Height: Short, or Medium, or Long. ➢ Shape: Round, or Oval, or Elliptical, or Round, or Square. ➢ Form: Flat, or Medium, or Arched, or Projected.

EYES • Eye opening / split axis: Horizontal or Slanting or Oblique It is the transverse axis of the eye opening from the inner to the outer corner. The slit opening may be of the following types. • Horizontal- usually observed in individuals having broad face, • Oblique or slanting directions ✓ upward and outward (common among the mongoloid) ✓ downward and outward (common among the narrow faced people)

• Eye colour can be observed and recorded for two parts of the eye -Iris and Sclera. Recording should be done in good daylight comparing the observed colour with Martin and Schultz Eye colour chart. The following are the different shades of eye colour for the two parts. • Colour of Iris - Black, brown, dark brown, light brown, greenish grey, dark grey, blue, dark blue, light blue, crimson red (albino) • Colour of sclera - Clear, speckled, yellow, dull.

Eye folds: Eye fold is the fold of the fatty upper skin which hangs over the upper eyelid. Type 1- Complete or medium or light Type 2- light equally arched or Lateral descending (internal) or Lateral ascending (external) or Narrow eyelids or upper eyelids Type 3- Absent Type 4- Asymmetric • Absent – absence of any fold or fatty upper skin does not hang down over the upper eyelid •

Internal – fold observed on the inner (medial) part of the upper eyelid

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Middle, - fold observed on the middle part of the upper eyelid

• External - fold observed on the outer(lateral) part of the upper eyelid, •

Complete - fold observed on the complete part of the upper eyelid

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Pseudo complete - fold observed during old age or during infancy period.

LIPS For practical purpose of racial distinction, the lips are of little value unless there is a negro strain. From racial point of view negroes have distinctive and different form of lips as compared to others. Usually while observing lips we go for the size and form. ❖ Integumental upper lips · Form – Straight or Convex or Concave · Membral Lip – Thin or Medium or Thick or Puffed-up · Mentolabial fold – High or Medium or Broad ❖ Integumental lower lips · Form – Straight or Bulging Downwards · Membral Lip – Thin or Medium or Thick or Puffed-up · Mentolabial fold – High or Medium or Broad

Nose (Root, Bridge & Septum) • Nose is one of the prominent structure of human face on which somatoscopic observation can be made for studying human variation, personal identification and for anthropo-genetic purposes. The following are the parts of the nose where somatoscopic observations are made from the profile view. 1. Nasal root That portion of the nose between eyes and at the junction of the nasal skeleton with the middle part of the forehead, usually characterized by a depression. The type of nasal root are: high, medium and deep. · Height above inner angle of eye – High or medium or low · Depth from Glabella – High or medium or deep · Breadth – Broad or medium broad or narrow · Shape – quite flat or medium or high or very high 2. Nasal bridge That part of the nose between the nasal root and tip. The type of nasal bridge are: concave, convex, concavo-convex, and straight. · Size – Narrow or medium or broad · Shape from profile – Concave or convex or vertical · Nasal bridge profile – Continuous or wavy angular 3. Nasal septum That part of the nose between the tip of nose and point of junction of the nasal base and upper integumentary margin of the upper lip. This separate the two nostrils. Following are the types of nasal septum: horizontal, upward, downward. · Size – Long or medium or short · Breadth – Narrow or broad · Direction – Upwards or downwards or Horizontal · Profile – septum visible or not

4. Tip of nose · Projection – upwards or downwards · Profile of tip – Rounded at point or fully rounded or flat 5. Nasal Wings · Thickness – Thick or medium or thin · Height – High or low · Bulge – Slight flat or slight or strongly bulging

6. Nasal cavity · Shape & Size – Very narrow or narrow or long oval or short oval or round or broad or very broad · Size & Length – Small or big 7. Surface of nasal cavity • Horizontal or projecting downwards or Upwards

NOSE FORMS

NASAL CAVITY...