ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Page Count: 14

A Study on the Standard for Forensic Anthropologic Identification of Skull-Image Superimposition
Dong-Sheng, C
Director and forensic doctor, senior engineer, engineer, chief inspecting forensic doctor, and assistant engineers, Tieling 213 Research Institute Hongqi St., Yinzhou District, Liaoning Province

Jian-Hai, F
Director and forensic doctor, senior engineer, engineer, chief inspecting forensic doctor, and assistant engineers, Tieling 213 Research Institute Hongqi St., Yinzhou District, Liaoning Province

Run-Ji, G
Director and forensic doctor, senior engineer, engineer, chief inspecting forensic doctor, and assistant engineers, Tieling 213 Research Institute Hongqi St., Yinzhou District, Liaoning Province

Yu-Wen, L
Director and forensic doctor, senior engineer, engineer, chief inspecting forensic doctor, and assistant engineers, Tieling 213 Research Institute Hongqi St., Yinzhou District, Liaoning Province

Yong-Chuan, M
Director and forensic doctor, senior engineer, engineer, chief inspecting forensic doctor, and assistant engineers, Tieling 213 Research Institute Hongqi St., Yinzhou District, Liaoning Province

Cheng, T
Director and forensic doctor, senior engineer, engineer, chief inspecting forensic doctor, and assistant engineers, Tieling 213 Research Institute Hongqi St., Yinzhou District, Liaoning Province

Wei-Dong, W
Director and forensic doctor, senior engineer, engineer, chief inspecting forensic doctor, and assistant engineers, Tieling 213 Research Institute Hongqi St., Yinzhou District, Liaoning Province

Jiang, Z
Director and forensic doctor, senior engineer, engineer, chief inspecting forensic doctor, and assistant engineers, Tieling 213 Research Institute Hongqi St., Yinzhou District, Liaoning Province

(Received 27 August 1988; accepted 17 January 1989)

Abstract

By means of X-ray photography tests were made of 224 (100 males and 124 females) volunteer Chinese adults of Han nationality to study the related regular patterns of superimposed projection of face landmarks onto the skull. On the basis of these tests, the present article reveals from a forensic anthropology angle the related regular patterns of plane projection of the human face with its skull. Study shows that there exist a strict individual identity and exclusiveness in relation between the human face and skull. The related regularity of displacement of face landmarks appears in projection of the skull with the human head at different photographic positions and angles. On the basis of this discovery, 52 indexes in 4 groups were established as a standard for judging the identification of a skull's body origin by means of skull-image superimposition. Based on forensic anthropology, the technique has raised to a great extent the credibility of unknown skull identification. In the past 8 years, 89 unknown skulls have been identified with their body origins which provided important and accurate evidence for the solution of murders with dismembered bodies, skeletonized bodies, and unidentified dead bodies.

Keywords:
physical anthropology, human identification, superimposition, photography

Paper ID: JFS12776J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS12776J
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