Nihal Ahmad1, Fateh Mohammad2, Ibrahim Farooque3
ABSTRACT: Prediction of stature from incomplete and decomposing skeletal remains is vital in establishing the identity of an unknown individual. It has been stated that a variety of factors such as race, gender and nutrition play an important role in determining the height of an individual. Estimation of stature holds a special place in the field of Forensic anthropometry. Establishing individuality on the mutilated part of a dead body is quite a difficult work in forensic medicine. Among the factors required, to establish the individuality of an unidentified dead body or any mutilated part of such dead body, height is one of them. The present study is an attempt to evaluate a possible correlation between stature of an individual & four parameters of upper limb; hand-length, hand-width, forearm length & arm's length individually in a local population of Kerala. A sample of 359 medical students studying in the KMCT Medical College & Hospital was considered & measurements were taken for each of the parameters. It was found that all the four parameters showed a correlation with stature but at different degrees. Forearm-length showed the highest degree of correlation (r=0.771) Mathematical formulae for estimating stature were developed for each of these parameters through basic linear regression. It can be concluded that the present study has provided regression equations for four different parameters that can be used for stature estimation in the population of Kerala.
