NCJ Number
99968
Editor(s)
I R Hill,
S Keiser-Nielsen,
Y Vermylen,
E Free,
E deValck,
E Tormans
Date Published
1984
Length
272 pages
Annotation
Papers address the historical development of forensic odontology or dental analysis, the autopsy, and facial reconstruction before describing the state of the art in several countries.
Abstract
The first paper traces the history of the autopsy from ancient Egyptian to modern times and controversies surrounding the procedure. Historical cases, mostly concerning postmortem identification, that have defined the development of forensic odontology are surveyed. These cases range from Roman times through the early 20th century, although most are 19th century. A brief review of work on facial reconstruction from the skull since 1898 concludes that such reconstructions bear a marked resemblance to the deceased and have a role to play in forensic science. The final group of papers describes the status of forensic odontology in several North and South American, European, and Asian countries. The final paper reports the results of an international survey on education in forensic odontology. References accompany all papers; a list of addresses is appended.