A medical certificate is a statement from

a physician or other health care provider that

attests to the result of a medical examination of a
patient.

Usually done by Forensic Experts

Some states Anatomy people
Questions by police officer
1. Whether the bones are human or not?
2. If human, whether they are male or female?
3. Whether they belong to one or more individual?
4. The stature of the individual to whom the bones
belonged

5. The age of the individual to whom the bones

belonged.
6. The time of death.
7. Whether the bones have been cut, sawn, gnawed
by animals or burnt?
8. The probable cause of death.

1. General description
Arrange, list, photograph
Sand, dust Acetone
Soft tissues Boiled

2. Are the remains actually bone/not

Anatomical structure
Microscopic exam
3. Human/Animal
Anatomical
Difficult- Small, fragmented, burnt
Precipitin test
Microscopic exam
Chemical analysis of bone
ash

Principle:
Precipitin

Anti-human precipitin serum

TECHNIQUE

4. Sex
- After puberty, except pelvis
- Pelvis, skull, femur, humerus
Scars of parturition- pubic symphysis
Greater sciatic notch
Medullary index- Long bones
Krogmans Rule
- Pelvis 95%
Skull 90%
- P + S 98%
Long bones 80%
- Entire skeleton 100%
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5. One / more individual

Reconstructing the skeleton
- Reduplication
- Disproportion
- Articulation
- Sex
- Age
- Race
- Co-mingling of bones

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 If

mixing of bones from more than one

skeleton is suspected, they can be separated
by the use of a shortwave ultraviolet lamp by
the difference in the colour emissions

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- Long bones
Karl Pearsons formulae
Trotter & Glesser formulae
Pandith
Nath and singh
Siddique
Harrison & Dupetroid formulae
- Hepburn's osteometric board
Stature =( Length X GF )+ FF

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- Steele formulae- Fragmented bones

- Not valid Childrens
Gigants
Dwarfs
Rule of thumb for stature
- Humerus 20%
Tibia 22%
- Femur
- 27%
Spine 35%

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7. Age
Eruption of teeth: when ever skull and mandible are
available.
Ossification centers A & F
Closure of cranial vault sutures: if the skull is intact
Bony lipping 35 to 40 yrs
Gustaffson's technique:
Changes in mandible.
Symphysial pubis changes in Articular surfaces

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Sternum 4 pieces of body of sternum 14 to 25 yrs.

Xiphoid unites with body 40 yrs.
Hyoid bone Greater cornua of hyoid bone fuses with
body at 40 to 60 yrs.
Sacrum Becomes single bone 21 to 25 yrs.
Changes at margin of the glenoid cavity of scapula.

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8. Race
- Skull Cephalic index
- Bones of lower limb
9. Identification
- Teeth
- Bones
-Surgical procedures
-spinal deformity
- Skull Superimposition
-previous dental radiograph and x-rays-contours and
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cancellous patterns of various bones

10. Time since death

Factors- Burial, soil, climate, insects, animal
- Soft tissue remnants 1 3 months
- Joint capsule & ligaments 3 5 months.
- Recent bone Greasy, heavy, odour.
- Completely dry but has putrid smell
3 month -1 year.
- Completely dry & no putrid smell more than 1 yr.
- Periosteum Several months

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Dating of bones
- Nitrogen 4-5gm% Recent
3.5gm% 50 to 100yrs
- Fluorescence with UV light < 100yrs
Absent 500yrs
- Precipitin test Negative after 10yrs
- Histological >50yrs Pockets of resorption
- By estimation of C14 (half life 5600 yrs)

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- Ends of long bones Clean cut, sawn, gnawed

- No injury Smooth
- Burns Brittle
- AM / PM
- PM conditions may cause fractures and
fragmentation due to continued and repeated freezing
and thawing and from the pressures of shifting soil
weight.

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- In most cases not possible.

- Ante mortem # covering vital organ-skull bones,
upper cervical vertebra, hyoid bone, several ribs or
,marks of deep cuts in long bones or marks of burning.
- Ante mortem # covering non vital organ Death
due to serious assault
-Bones should be examined for firearm injuries.
- Metallic poisons arsenic, antimony, lead or
mercury.
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ANY FATAL INJURIES

NO (ABSENT)

YES (PRESENT)

POISONING
(HEAVY METAL)

DROWNING

CHEMICAL
ANALYSIS

DIATOM TEST

+VE

-VE

-VE

+VE

-VE = NATURAL DEATH

+VE = UNNATURAL DEATH

FRACTURE
HEALING OF FRACTURE

ANTE
MORTEM
ORIGIN

POST
MORTEM
ORIGIN

EXAMINATION REPORT

Requisition
Received one bone from Dept. of FM
Date, Time & Place of exam
Bone is dry, devoid of soft tissues & nonfoulsmelling
Belongs to human being
Belongs to one individual/ more than one
Sex
Age

Sl. NO Name of
ossification
Centre

Age of
Appearance

Age of Fusion

Finding in Inference
the given
bone

Secondary ossification centers- A & F

Race - Cephalic index- B/L x100
Stature - Long bones- L x GF + FF
Injury
Time since death
Cause of death

Opinion
The given bone is a human. bone belonging to
a male/female individual aged >.yrs & <..yrs.
Date:
Designation:
Place:
Signature
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1) Precipitin Test?
2) Name various methods to determine stature by
long bones?
3) Hepburn osteometric board?
4) How do you determine time since death by
examination of bones?
5) Skeletenization?
6) MLI of age 7,10, 12, 14, 18, 21 and 25?

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6) Poisons found ( Detected) in bones (nails &

hairs)?
7) How do you determine cause of death by
examination of bones?
8) Krogmans Index?
9) Rule of thumb of stature?
10) Co-mingling?
11) superimposition

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1) Write brief about collection, preservation and

packing of viscera for chemical analysis?
2) Difference between postmortem lividity and
bruise?

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