Stature estimation from the length of the sternum in South Indian males: A preliminary study

Menezes, Ritesh G.; Kanchan, Tanuj; Kumar, G. Pradeep; Rao, P.P. Jagadish; Lobo, Stany W.; Uysal, Selma; Krishan, Kewal; Kalthur, Sneha G.; Nagesh, K.R.; Shettigar, Sunder

doi:10.1016/j.jflm.2009.05.001

« Previous Next »Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine
Volume 16, Issue 8 , Pages 441-443, November 2009

Stature estimation from the length of the sternum in South Indian males: A preliminary study☆

Ritesh G. Menezes, MD Diplomate NB (Assistant Professor)
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, India
- Corresponding author.
Tanuj Kanchan, MD (Assistant Professor)
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, India
G. Pradeep Kumar, MD (Professor & Head)
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, India
P.P. Jagadish Rao, MD, Diplomate NB (Assistant Professor)
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, India
Stany W. Lobo, MSc PhD (Assistant Professor)
- Department of Human Anatomy and Embryology, Saba University School of Medicine, Saba, Netherlands Antilles
Selma Uysal, MD (Senior Radiologist)
- Department of Radiology, Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
Kewal Krishan, MSc PhD (Senior Lecturer)
- Department of Anthropology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
Sneha G. Kalthur, MS (Assistant Professor)
- Department of Anatomy, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, India
K.R. Nagesh, MD (Associate Professor)
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Father Muller Medical College, Mangalore, India
Sunder Shettigar, PUC (Senior Forensic Technician)
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, India

Received 20 June 2008; received in revised form 4 March 2009; accepted 19 May 2009.

Abstract

Estimation of stature is one of the important initial steps during forensic analysis of human skeletal remains. The aim of the present study was to derive a linear regression formula for estimating stature of adult South Indian males from the length of the sternum. The study included 35 male sternums of South Indian origin dissected from cadavers during medico-legal autopsies. The linear regression equation [Stature=117.784+(3.429×Sternal length)] was derived to estimate the stature from the length of the sternum. The correlation coefficient was 0.638. The standard error of the estimate was 5.64cm. This preliminary study concludes that the length of the sternum can be used as a tool for stature estimation in adult South Indian males.