The body can tell us many things about the life of a person. Lab analysis on hum

Question

The body can tell us many things about the life of a person. Lab analysis on human blood can reveal insight into diet, lifestyle, propensity for disease, as well as hundreds of years of ancestral lineage.

In death, the body is as equally telling as the body systems and tissues have distinct characteristics and norms. Factors such as the cause and time of death, sex, and age can be determined through a post-mortem examination.

Instructions:

In this case study, assume the role of a forensic anthropologist that must examine a skeleton found in a shallow grave in a state park. You will research and simulate the actual procedures used within a forensics lab to determine the age, sex and height of a skeleton, as well as learn to identify bones, landmarks, and anatomical features associated with sex, age and height of a skeleton. Further, you will research and simulate the varying levels of pathological and morphological changes used within forensics anthropology to help determine both cause and time of death.

Read the attached case study, Dem Bones to set the scene.

Prior to reading the case study, read through the list of questions below and keep these in mind as you complete the reading.

After the reading, begin researching and examining the individual bones of the skeleton and their landmarks, according to forensic anthropology techniques, and determine the following, providing rationale for each determination:

Describe in detail how the sex of a human skeleton can be determined based upon pelvic, skull and femur morphological distinctions.

Based upon forensic anthropological techniques, describe how the height of a skeleton can be determined when the human skeleton is no longer fully intact.

Based upon forensic anthropological technique, describe in detail how the age of a skeleton can be determined.

Discuss how pathological and morphological changes within bone might help a forensic anthropologist determine both a cause and a theoretical timeline of death.

Discuss how varying changes observed within the levels of organization in the body after death can help a forensic anthropologist to determine both a cause and time of death, i.e., organ temperature (liver), water or smoke present/absent within the lungs, level of skin slippage, decay and tissue healing (bruising, petechial haemorrhaging on the conjunctiva, ligature marks, etc.).

Compile all results in a document for submission.

Please be sure to validate your answers with citations and references in APA format.

Please review the rubric to ensure that your assignment meets criteria.

Explanation / Answer

DTERMINATION OF AGE :

Depends on two fundamental life processes. grouth and decline,based on degree and location of bone growth and dental formation and eruption from the gums in immature individuals. At birth bone are soft cartilage and replaced by hard bone at centers as grow. Scence center's grow at defferent rates, can use patters to estimate age of kids and subadults.teeth develop and erupt in specific sequences at specific times of child hood and this can help estimate age of guveniles. Done growing by late 20s,estimate by looking at degenerative to body in joints - pelvis and 4th rib.

DTERMINATION OF SEX :

The axial skeleton weight of the male is larger than females and the brunt of this weight is borne by the femur.the muscular forces moving across the hip joint will affect the morphology of the femoral head.The stress and strain on the femoral head is different in males and females.

HEIGHT :

Reassemble the skeleton and then add a few inches for muscles and tissues on the femur bone.

The measurement of the appropriate dimensions of the skull,vertebrae (C2- S1),femur,tibia,talus and calcaneus.The sum total of these measurements give the total skeletal height.

CAUSE OF DEATH:

Determination of cause of death done by performing an "Autopsy" .

Information gathered in the autopsy will also the used to determine the manners of death, records and photographs from post- mortem exam will be used during court proceedings, careful examination of body, wound, patterns,toxicology.

TIME OF DEATH :

During autopsy, a ME wants to determine when the person died, many factors are used to approximate the time of death.

Livor mortis, Rigor mortis, Algor mortis, stomach and intestinal contents , insects.

changes observed within the levels of organization in the body after death

At the moment of death, the muscles relax completly - a condition called "promary flaccidity". The muscles then stiffen,perhaps due to coagulation of muscle proeins of or a shift in the muslces energy containers (ATP - ADP),into a condition known as rigor mortis. all of the bodys muscles are affected rigor motis begins with in 2-6 hrs of death,starting with eyelids, neck and jaw. this sequence may be due to the defference in lacticacid levels amoung different muscles, which corresponds to the difference in glycogen levels and to the different types of mucle fibers, over the next 4-6 hrs, rigor mortis spreads to the other muscles, including those in the internal organs such as heart.

After being in this rigid condition for 24 - 84 Hrs,the muscles relax and secondary laxity (flaccidity) develops, usually in the same order as it brgan. the length of time rigor mortis lasts depends on multiple factors,perticularly the ambient temperature. Via death reference.

LIVER :

The organ that the a forensic scientist uses to tell the temperature of the body.

SKIN SLIPPAGE :

As the gas pressure continues to build up inside the body it causes blisters to appear all over the skin surface,and then losening,followed by 'slippage',of large sheets of skin, which remain barely attached attached to the deteriorating frame underneath. Eventually the gases and liquefied tisses purge from the body.

DECAY ;

5 stages of decomposition in the terrestrial Environment

Stage 1 : Fresh / Initial decay

Stage 2 : Bloat / Putrefaction

Stage 3 : Decay/ Black putrefaction

Stage 4 : Post - Decay

Stage 5 :Dry / Skeletal (Mummification)

LUNG :

Death is the permanent stopping of the function of the entire brain, including the brain stem.A machine that keeps your heart beating and lungs breathing. not alive.

permanent vegetative state is ALIVE because of functioning brain stem enables respiration and circulation.

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