Methods of forensic facial reconstruction and human identification: historical background, significance, and limitations.

Facial reconstruction is the most frequently used method for human identification in forensic examinations. It is a complex and time-consuming technique and an actively growing field with a wide array of applications. The methods of forensic facial reconstruction are helpful in those cases where other methods of identification are not applicable. Identification of the dead is always a challenging task for forensic teams in cases involving terrorists' attacks and mass disasters where the corpses are fragmented, decomposed, and skeletonized. In such cases, only the skeletal remains and few other clues are available to establish the identity of a person. The progress of facial reconstruction was initiated in the nineteenth century, reconstructing the facial profiles of some famous and rich people. Various novel techniques for facial reconstruction have been devised in the recent past. We conducted literature search, using databases PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect for analyzing different methods developed and practiced till date for human facial reconstruction. We outline the brief history along with a discussion regarding the different methods of forensic facial reconstruction and their limitations. We also discuss future recommendations and preferences for further research in the field of forensic facial reconstruction and human identification.

Forensic Anthropology in Investigations of Crimes Against Humanity: Global Dimensions and the Mid-19th-Century Ajnala (India) Massacre.

Heinous crimes and brutalities have decimated humanity throughout human history. In modern times, forensic anthropologists have helped to reconstruct the nature and mechanism, intent and purpose, manner, and circumstances of various inhumane instances of genocides and violent crimes. Anthropologists endeavor to bring closure and comfort to bereaved families by disseminating information about the location, exhumation, and identification of the remains of victims. The methodological armamentarium and scope of forensic anthropology have developed much beyond the realms of the traditional biological profiling casework to the scenarios of humanitarian concerns. Humanitarian forensics focuses on the excavation and identification of the remains of victims and facilitates the dignified burial of the deceased. This review article highlights and exemplifies the significant contributions of forensic anthropological expertise in revealing various crimes against humanity and human rights violations committed in the recent past as well as in some contemporary cases reported from around the globe. It includes cases such as Guatemalan, Cambodian, and Bosnian genocides, as well as other mass killings that illustrate the efficacy of anthropological evidence in reconstructing the nature, mechanism, and circumstances related to these incidences. Special emphasis is given to the Ajnala (India) skeletal remains excavated from an abandoned well - remains reportedly belonging to 282 Indian soldiers killed in 1857 whose corpses were dumped into the said disused well by sanitary workers - indicating the importance of forensic anthropology in authenticating the occurrence of events as mentioned in historical records. Analysis of different case histories reveals that forensic anthropologists have played a significant role in recovery and identification of the victims of the many war crimes, genocides, racial conflicts, and violent cruelties committed against mankind in modern history.

A First World War example of forensic archaeology.

Between 1919 and 1921, the First World War battlefields of France and Belgium were searched by the British Army for the single graves and small cemeteries containing the bodies of British and Commonwealth soldiers. This process was called "concentration". When found, these graves were exhumed, the bodies within were examined to try and establish or confirm identification, and were subsequently reburied in newly built. Imperial War Grave Commission cemeteries. This task was carried out by military staff working for the Directorate of Graves Registration and Enquiries. They had no forensic or medical experience and yet in less than three years they moved hundreds of thousands of graves, on a scale never seen before or since. Written records were issued for the soldiers working on exhumation in 1919 giving detailed instructions on how to search for buried or unburied individuals, the method to follow for excavating these graves and directions for the examination of bodies. These instructions are very similar to those used in modern forensic archaeology when excavating single or mass graves, or when dealing with multiple bodies following mass disasters. They show an awareness of the effects of human burials on the surrounding environment and address search and excavation problems that are still experienced. The example given here in France and Belgium is one of the earliest examples of Forensic Archaeology for humanitarian purposes, and the instructions issued are probably the earliest written instructions for a Forensic Archaeological excavation.

Chagas disease: Historic perspective.

This review is a perspective on the history of Chagas disease, and it adopts a novel approach from literary studies, historical documents and the science and epidemiology of the nature of the disease. From this analysis, comes the review's working definition of the Contact Zone (CZ): "the space in which geographically and historically separated people come into contact with each other and establish long-lasting relationships, which usually involve coercive conditions, radical inequality and intolerable conflict." In the Patient-Physician CZ, we verified the triple transition phenomena: the American trypanosomiasis shifted from a rural, acute, and vectorial transmitted disease to an urban, chronic and non-vectorial disease. In the Academic CZ, we describe the original disagreements which denied the existence of the disease and the current controversies about pathogenic mechanisms and etiological treatment. From the News from Latin America, and in the Original CZ, we will review the evolution of different forms of transmission. As in any good story, research across broad disciplines is necessary to reveal historical perspectives, scientific approaches, and the epidemiology of the disease, which has a prequel of 9000 years and an open ending: thus, we explore across the Global CZ, with its multiple and unexpected actors.

Missing fingers

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Forensic anthropology in the global investigation of humanitarian and human rights abuse: Perspective from the published record.

Forensic anthropologists have played key roles in the historical development of forensic science applications to global humanitarian and human rights issues. These anthropological initiatives can be traced back to the Smithsonian seminar organized by T. D. Stewart in 1968 and published in 1970. Key developments include the 1984 delegation sent by the American Association for the Advancement of Science to Argentina and the formation of the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team. Subsequent highlights include major anthropological involvement in support of investigations by international criminal tribunals, formation of forensic anthropology teams in different countries and activities of the International Commission of Missing Persons and the forensic unit of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Recent developments feature the formation of the Humanitarian and Human Rights Resource Center of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and its support of worthwhile projects in many countries. The published record provides historical perspective on these developments.

Lampião, Lages, Lombroso: the autopsy of the bandit king of the Brazilian backlands.

Lampião, the most infamous Brazilian brigand leader, was killed and decapitated during an ambush in 1938. The Alagoas police coroner, Dr. José Lages Filho, performed an autopsy of his head. Strongly biased toward the anthropologic ideas of the famous Italian psychiatrist and criminalist Cesare Lombroso, the examination found only a few of the so-called criminal inborn traits. The Lombrosian doctrine and a number of related theories strongly influenced medical and political reasoning in the first half of the 20th century. Modern genetic and neuroscientific studies are still looking for the potential biological roots of misbehavior and criminality.

Lampião, Lages, Lombroso: the autopsy of the bandit king of the Brazilian backlands / Lampião, Lages, Lombroso: a autópsia do Rei do Cangaço

ABSTRACT Lampião, the most infamous Brazilian brigand leader, was killed and decapitated during an ambush in 1938. The Alagoas police coroner, Dr. José Lages Filho, performed an autopsy of his head. Strongly biased toward the anthropologic ideas of the famous Italian psychiatrist and criminalist Cesare Lombroso, the examination found only a few of the so-called criminal inborn traits. The Lombrosian doctrine and a number of related theories strongly influenced medical and political reasoning in the first half of the 20th century. Modern genetic and neuroscientific studies are still looking for the potential biological roots of misbehavior and criminality.

RESUMO Lampião foi o líder cangaceiro mais famoso do Brasil. Foi morto e decapitado após emboscada em 1938. O Dr. José Lages Filho, perito médico-legal da polícia de Alagoas, realizou a autópsia parcial, restrita à cabeça. O exame focalizou essencialmente a busca de traços físicos característicos do chamado criminoso nato, de acordo com a teoria antropológica criminal desenvolvida pelo psiquiatra italiano Cesare Lombroso. A doutrina de Lombroso e outras com ela relacionadas influenciaram fortemente o raciocínio médico e político na primeira metade do século 20. Seus ecos são ainda hoje perceptíveis em estudos genéticos e neurocientíficos contemporâneos, que seguem procurando as raízes biológicas dos desvios comportamentais e da criminalidade.

A history of forensic anthropology.

Forensic anthropology represents a dynamic and rapidly evolving complex discipline within anthropology and forensic science. Academic roots extend back to early European anatomists but development coalesced in the Americas through high-profile court testimony, assemblage of documented collections and focused research. Formation of the anthropology section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in 1972, the American Board of Forensic Anthropology in 1977/1978 and other organizational advances provided important stimuli for progress. While early pioneers concentrated on analysis of skeletonized human remains, applications today have expanded to include complex methods of search and recovery, the biomechanics of trauma interpretation, isotopic analysis related to diet and region of origin, age estimation of the living and issues related to humanitarian and human rights investigations.

Huellas dactilares a través del mundo transatlántico: las vidas paralelas de Juan Vucetich y Federico Olóriz / Fingerprints across the transatlantic world: the parallel lives of Juan Vucetich and Federico Olóriz

Se estudia la adopción de las huellas dactilares como método de identificación en Argentina y España durante los primeros años del siglo XX. A través de su epistolario conjunto se analizan los intercambios entre Juan Vucetich (1858-1925), creador del sistemaargentino, y Federico Olóriz Aguilera (1855-1912), principal impulsor de la dactiloscopia en España. Se reconstruye a continuación la llegada de las clasificaciones de Vucetich a España a partir de 1906. Se estudian los factores que facilitaron su adaptación al nuevo escenario, debido a la posición privilegiada de Olóriz a caballo entre el mundo académico y profesional. También se examinaron las primeras propuestas de extensión de las huellas dactilares más allá del entorno policial a uno y otro lado del Atlántico. Se analizan de forma comparada las resistencias a la implantación de las huellas dactilares por parte de académicos, identificadorese identificados. A continuación se revisan las campañas de propaganda y legitimación que emprendieron ambos protagonistas a través de cartas, viajes, congresos, publicaciones, cursos y experimentos públicos. El artículo se cierra con la visita de Vucetich a España, lo que permite conocer los múltiples escenarios y personajes interesados en las nuevas técnicas de identificación alrededor de 1913. Pretendemos mostrar que, más allá de los usos policiales y coercitivos, sobre los que se han centrado la historiografía anglosajona, las huellas dactilares fueron percibidas también como herramientas para acceder (o limitar) derechos sociales y para realizar (o denegar) actividades administrativas y económicas, dando lugar a una variedad de estrategias de legitimación, controversias y respuestas (AU)

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The missing, the martyred and the disappeared: Global networks, technical intensification and the end of human rights genetics.

In 1984, a group of Argentine students, trained by US academics, formed the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team to apply the latest scientific techniques to the excavation of mass graves and identification of the dead, and to work toward transitional justice. This inaugurated a new era in global forensic science, as groups of scientists in the Global South worked outside of and often against local governments to document war crimes in post-conflict settings. After 2001, however, with the inauguration of the war on terror following the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, global forensic science was again remade through US and European investment to increase preparedness in the face of potential terrorist attacks. In this paper, I trace this shift from human rights to humanitarian forensics through a focus on three moments in the history of post-conflict identification science. Through a close attention to the material semiotic networks of forensic science in post-conflict settings, I examine the shifting ground between non-governmental human rights forensics and an emerging security- and disaster-focused identification grounded in global law enforcement. I argue that these transformations are aligned with a scientific shift towards mechanized, routinized, and corporate-owned DNA identification and a legal privileging of the right to truth circumscribed by narrow articulations of kinship and the body.

Discussing a Forensic Dental Examination of 1861--A Scientific and Historic Overview.

This work is a discussion on a report of dental examination and exclusion made by a British dentist Francis Robertus Lloyd on 30th April 1861. The report entitled: 'Dentistry as a means of Identification' was published in the 'British Journal of Dental Science' under the section 'Miscellanea' in 1861; Mr. Lloyd was contacted by the Indian authorities in order to identify a skull. He may well be the first British dentist to officially report a dental examination in an academic journal. The aims of this discussion are to briefly analyze the difficulties of access to scientific techniques in that century and to provide Mr. Lloyd recognition of his report in the history of Forensic Dentistry.

A short account of forensic dentistry in France.

The earliest records and more recent cases where forensic dentistry has been used to identify bodies in France are described. The establishment of the French Society of Forensic Odontology is detailed.

["Influence of epidermal friction and wear on papillary patterns": unpublished fingerprinting experiments by Federico Olóriz Aguilera (1855-1912)]. / "Influencia del roce y desgaste epidérmico en el dibujo papilar": experiencias inéditas sobre dactiloscopia de Federico Olóriz Aguilera (1855-1912).

Federico Olóriz introduced in Spain a method of identification based on fingerprints that is now used in various other countries. Among the numerous studies he performed for this purpose is a hitherto unpublished experiment reported in this paper. The objective was to test whether fleshy parts of fingers that undergo manipulation can maintain their dermal folds in a manner that permits their correct identification. Olóriz found that dermal folds produced by a simple ligation did not pose serious identification problems, while alterations resulting from sharp elements generated greater but in some way surmountable difficulties. A brief biography of Olóriz is first provided, with a summary of his studies on Anthropology and, in greater detail, his dedication to Forensic Anthropology, which led to the development of the so-called "Olóriz Method" of identification by means of fingerprints.

«Influencia del roce y desgaste epidérmico en el dibujo papilar»: experiencias inéditas sobre dactiloscopia de Federico Olóriz Aguilera (1855-1912) / 'Influence of epidermal friction and wear on papillary patterns': unpublished fingerprinting experiments by Federico Olóriz Aguilera (1855-1912)

Federico Olóriz fue el introductor en España de un método de identificación por medio de las huellas dactilares, actualmente en vigor en diversos países. Para ello realizó numerosos trabajos, entre otros, la experiencia, hasta ahora inédita, que presentamos. Olóriz se propuso comprobar si los pulpejos de los dedos sometidos a manipulación mantenían los pliegues dérmicos de forma que pudieran seguir sirviendo para la correcta identificación. En caso de un simple lijado, comprobó que los pliegues dérmicos no representaban problemas graves de identificación. En caso de alterarse con elementos punzantes, las dificultades eran algo mayores, pero en modo alguno insalvables. Previamente se ofrece una breve biografía del personaje y un resumen de sus estudios sobre antropología y, de forma más amplia, su dedicación a la antropología forense, que le llevó a poner en marcha el denominado «Método Olóriz» de identificación por medio de las huellas dactilares (AU)

Federico Olóriz introduced in Spain a method of identification based on fingerprints that is now used in various other countries. Among the numerous studies he performed for this purpose is a hitherto unpublished experiment reported in this paper. The objective was to test whether fleshy parts of fingers that undergo manipulation can maintain their dermal folds in a manner that permits their correct identification. Olóriz found that dermal folds produced by a simple ligation did not pose serious identification problems, while alterations resulting from sharp elements generated greater but in some way surmountable difficulties. A brief biography of Olóriz is first provided, with a summary of his studies on Anthropology and, in greater detail, his dedication to Forensic Anthropology, which led to the development of the so-called "Olóriz Method" of identification by means of fingerprints (AU)

El rito de la «Apertura de la Boca» en el Antiguo Egipto: estudio bucodental de una cabeza egipcia momificada / The Ritual of «Opening of the Mouth» in Ancient Egypt: study on a mummified egyptian head

La momificación o embalsamamiento es un proceso que se desarrolló en el Antiguo Egipto para conservar el cuerpo tras la muerte, y preservar así la identidad del individuo en la vida futura, de acuerdo con sus costumbres funerarias. El rito de la «Apertura de la Boca y los Ojos», formaba parte de los ritos funerarios y pretendía devolver al difunto la capacidad de hablar y de observar en el más allá. Se realizaba sobre el cadáver previamente a su embalsamamiento, o bien se «representaba» ante la momia ya embalsamada o una estatua de la misma. Se presenta el caso de un cráneo humano momificado del Museo de Antropología Forense, Paleopatología y Criminalística de la Escuela de Medicina Legal de Madrid. Presenta protrusión lingual y fracturas en los dientes del grupo anterosuperior (AU)

Mummification or embalming is a process which was developed in Ancient Egypt in order to preserve the body after death, and thereby to maintain the individual's identity in the afterlife, in accordance with Ancient Egyptian funerary customs. The ritual of Opening the Mouth and Eyes formed part of the funerary rituals and constituted an attempt to restore the ability of the deceased to speak and see in the life beyond. It was performed on the corpse prior to embalming, or it was «performed» in front of the mummy after embalming or a statue of the mummy. We present the case of a mummified human cranium from the Forensic Anthropology, Paleopathology and Criminal Studies Museum at the Legal Medicine School of Madrid. It displays a protruding tongue and fractures on the teeth in the anterosuperior group (AU)