Introduction to Forensic Anthropology

Forensic Anthropologists study the identifying characteristics on the remains of an individual in cases of legal importance. Height, race, sex, and physical health are generally what Forensic Anthropologists strive to identify. An applied science, Forensic Anthropology is comprised of Biological Anthropology and Forensic Science. It differs from Archaeology, which is actually the branch of anthropology that studies prehistoric people and their cultures. Forensic Anthropology can include older remains, but is also charged with the identification of recent sets of remains. Essentially, a Forensic Anthropologist is searching for clues in the bones as to the identity, cause and manner of death.

John Webster image George Parkman image Forensic Anthropology grew from anthropological methods and sciences to be its own discipline in the mid 1800s to early 1900s. In 1849, the murder of Dr. George Parkman spurred the development and expansion of Forensic Anthropology. It was considered the biggest case of the 19th century and is often compared to the OJ Simpson trial of the 20th century. Dr. George Parkman was a doctor whose remains were found dismembered in the privy and furnace of an anatomy lab at Harvard University. Because of the dismemberment and state of decomposition, two professors of Anatomy were called in to try to identify the victim. The two Anatomy professors gathered the remains, reassembled them and determined the victim's approximate height, ethnicity, sex, and age. They used this information to match the characteristics to the well known local man known as "Dr. Parkman". Dentures found in the furnace matched Dr. Parkman's dental molds, and skin discolorations were identified by his wife for the confirmation. Investigative clues led to the arrest, conviction and subsequent death sentence of a friend of Dr. Parkman's named Dr. John Webster. Dr. Webster was a professor of Chemistry at Harvard University. He owed Dr. Parkman a large sum of money and apparently did not wish to repay it.

History and Development of Forensic Science

View the interactivity below to learn more about the History and Development of Forensic Science.

Goals of the Forensic Anthropologist

Forensic Anthropologists' main goal is to identify human remains. The most common identifying factors they uncover are summarized in a Biological Profile. A Biological Profile includes the following:

General description of the decedent's* probable appearance before death
Sex
Age at death
Ancestry
Stature
Assessment of any visible traumas, including antemortem, perimortem and postmortem traumas.
Notation of any pathologies (diseases) detected.

*In this module, the deceased person is referred to as the "decedent". This is the term used in Forensic Anthropology death investigations most often because it is neutral and does not imply anything about the way in which the person may have died as the term "victim" may imply.

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