NCJ Number
187602
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 46 Issue: 2 Dated: March 2001 Pages: 220-222
Date Published
March 2001
Length
3 pages
Annotation
The research reported in this paper compared patterns of osteon organization in human and nonhuman bone and then determined whether these patterns were distinctive.
Abstract
A linear organization of Haversian systems in nonhuman bone, where osteons line up in rows, has been reported but has not been quantified. The research reported in this paper provides a quantitative examination of this observation through a comparative analysis of the femoral midshaft from human and nonhuman bone. Femoral midshaft thin sections from 60 humans were compared to femoral midshaft sections from nine sheep and six miniature swine. The presence or absence of osteon banding was recorded and, if present, described. Results indicate that 2 out of 60 human sections and 5 out of 15 nonhuman sections exhibited osteon banding (x squared = 9.46; p < 0.01). Further, the type of banding present in the human and nonhuman samples was easily distinguished, indicating that human and nonhuman bone can be distinguished where banding is present. The observations suggest a need for future research on the frequency of banding in mature nonhuman bone. Also, since this study of nonhuman bone was confined to two species and the midshaft femur, there is a need for additional study on other species and bones from other parts of the skeleton, so as to better understand the frequency of osteon banding in nonhuman bone. Future studies could address other factors that might have an observable effect on bone organization, such as body size and locomotor patterns. 4 figures, 1 table, and 7 references