Identification from acquired peculiarities

Identification of stature:

• Height = span (distance between the outstretched upper limb).

• Pearson's formulae (see before)

Identification of the social state

• From personal care for clothes, hair, teeth, nails, etc.

Identification of the occupation

• From the clothes.
• Callosities, stains, dyes on the fingers and under nails
• Wax of ears usually retains dust and organic particles for long time.
• Plain x-ray chest may reveal byssinosis and asbestosis in cotton fiber workers

Identification from congenital anomalies, birth marks, moles

Identification from acquired peculiarities e.g. occupational marks, operation scars and tattoo marks.

• Tattoo marks: It is done by injecting certain coloring material (e.g. aniline) into the dermis to be permanently fixed by histocytes.

Tattoo marks


Estimation of time passed since death

* It can be estimated from changes in soft tissues as well as skeleton

Category: Forensic Medicine Notes