PROCEDURE FOR SEX DETERMINATION OF HUMAN SCAPULA

The determination of sex drawing on the differences in certain dimensions of skeletal bones constitutes one of the main tasks of forensic medicine and osteology.

Aim. To develop informative and reliable science-based diagnostic criteria for sex determination (as part of personal identification in forensic medicine) on the basis of a number of parameters associated with the scapula, drawing on statistically calculated formulae.

Material and methods. The study included 108 corpses of people, who died aged 19 to 99 years in the Central region of Russia in 2016 from cardiovascular diseases, acute poisoning with ethanol and/or drugs, as well as from concomitant mechanical injuries to the body. Morphometric, osteometric and statistical methods of research were employed, along with a mathematical one when using a software package for the statistical analysis of the material.

Results. New formulae have been obtained that allow sex to be determined on the basis of individual parameters associated with the scapula.

Conclusion. The obtained data will help reliably reduce the number of osteometric studies, shifting focus to the collection of specific material, which will decrease economic and time expenditures on conducting the morphometric studies of bones in general, as well as dramatically increase the evidentiary significance of the examination in criminal proceedings.