NCJ Number
218474
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 52 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2007 Pages: 553-556
Date Published
May 2007
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This study evaluated Rama Pukait's method of determining sex from isolated bones and bone fragments by measurement of a triangle defined by three points on the end of the femur, using skeletal material from Bhopal, India.
Abstract
Findings from the study sample showed that a single variable from Purkait's method of gender determination provided 85.5 percent accuracy in sex determination, similar to 87 percent accuracy from a measurement of the maximum diameter of the femoral head. Combining threshold values for a single variable from Purkait's method and the femoral head diameter raised the predictability to greater than 90 percent for both sexes. The single variable in Purkait's method was the measurement from the point projecting most medially on the greater trochanter (jutting at the upper end of the femur) and the highest point on the lesser trochanter. The measured values in the Terry collection, which was used in the current study, were found to be smaller than those from Purkait's study; however, the results were within one standard deviation. The biological meaning of these differences is unclear. More studies should be conducted on various populations, using contemporary samples in order to determine general discriminant functions and threshold values based on population variability. The study used 200 (100 males and 100 females) dry, adult femora from the Terry collection. The sample was further separated between African-Americans (50 males and 50 females) and European-Americans (50 males and 50 females). Purkait's triangle was defined by the most lateral projecting point on the femur head, the most medially projecting point on the greater trochanter, and the most posteromedial point of the lesser trochanter. The maximum vertical diameter of the femur head was also measured. 6 tables, 1 figure, and 8 references