Identification of Sex from Metacarpals: Effect of Side Asymmetry

This study tests the effect of bilateral asymmetry on the success rate of correct prediction of sex based on osteometric dimensions of the second metacarpal, using a method proposed by Scheuer and Elkington. A total of 351 bones from 179 individuals (47 documented as to age and sex), including 172 p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of forensic sciences 1994-09, Vol.39 (5), p.1188-1194
Main Author: Lazenby, RA
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Female
Forensic Anthropology - methods
Functional Laterality
Humans
Male
Metacarpus - anatomy & histology
Ontario
Sex Determination Analysis - methods
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Summary:This study tests the effect of bilateral asymmetry on the success rate of correct prediction of sex based on osteometric dimensions of the second metacarpal, using a method proposed by Scheuer and Elkington. A total of 351 bones from 179 individuals (47 documented as to age and sex), including 172 pairs, obtained from a 19th century cemetery were used to test the null hypothesis of no effect. A high success rate (>90%) for correct identification was found for males irrespective of side, although the larger right second metacarpal was a significantly better predictor. Conversely, there was a much lower success rate for females irrespective of side (
ISSN:0022-1198
1556-4029
DOI:10.1520/JFS13704J