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Thompson T. The impact of climate change and sustainability initiatives on forensic practice. Forensic Sci Int Synerg 2024; 8:100475. [PMID: 38764543 PMCID: PMC11099902 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2024.100475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
The climate change crisis affects all aspects of our lives, and this includes national and global scientific endeavours. The forensic sciences are no different but are yet to engage meaningfully with this agenda or to consider what it means for future practice. This paper explores and discusses a range of impacts on forensic and crime scene practice derived from climate change and proposes the potential implications. The paper concludes by laying out a way forward and a programme of activity to support the forensic sciences to manage the implications of climate change and related sustainability initiatives on the criminal and medico-legal investigative community.
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Oliveira-Santos I, Gomes RAMP, Coelho C, Gil F, Cunha E, Baptista IP, Ferreira MT. All that glitters is not gold: X-ray fluorescence analysis of a fixed dental prosthesis from Colecção de Esqueletos Identificados Século XXI, Portugal (CEI/XXI). Int J Legal Med 2024; 138:685-691. [PMID: 37347275 PMCID: PMC10861605 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-023-03048-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Access to better health care anticipates that more medical devices can be found alongside skeletal remains. Those employed in oral rehabilitation, with available brands or batch/series, can prove useful in the identification process. A previous study in the Colecção de Esqueletos Identificados Século XXI described macroscopically the dental prostheses. An unusual case of a dental device with chromatic alterations demonstrated to require a more detailed analysis. The individual, a 53-year-old male, exhibited, at both arches, a fixed tooth-supported rehabilitation, with gold colouring classified initially as a gold-palladium alloy. Simultaneously, a green pigmentation deposit was observable in bone and prosthesis. This investigation aimed to verify the elemental composition of the dental prosthesis alloy. Elemental analysis was performed by X-ray fluorescence in two regions (labial surface of the prosthetic crown and the root surface of the lower right lateral incisor). Both the spectra and the qualitative results found higher levels of copper and aluminium, followed by nickel, iron, zinc, and manganese. No gold or palladium was detected. The most probable assumption is that a copper-aluminium alloy was used, as its elemental concentration corresponds to those measured in similar devices. Dental prostheses of copper-aluminium alloys have been made popular since the 1980s, particularly in the USA, Japan, and Eastern Europe. Apart from the biographical information, it was also known that the individual's place of birth was an Eastern European country, which highlighted the usefulness of this type of information when dealing with missing people cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês Oliveira-Santos
- Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology, Department of Life Sciences, Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE), University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Ricardo A M P Gomes
- Department of Life Sciences, Research Centre for Anthropology and Health (CIAS), University of Coimbra, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal
- Carrera de Antropologia, University of Concepcion, Barrio Universitario s/n, Concepcion, Chile
| | - Catarina Coelho
- Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology, Department of Life Sciences, Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE), University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Francisco Gil
- Department of Physics and Molecular Chemical-Physics Group, Department of Chemistry, Centre for Physics of the University of Coimbra (CFisUC), University of Coimbra, Rua Larga, 3004-516, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Eugénia Cunha
- Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology, Department of Life Sciences, Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE), University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences I. P. (INMLCF, I. P.), Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Isabel Poiares Baptista
- Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology, Department of Life Sciences, Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE), University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, Center for Innovation and Research in Oral Sciences (CIROS), Institute of Periodontology, University of Coimbra, 3000-075, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Maria Teresa Ferreira
- Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology, Department of Life Sciences, Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE), University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal
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O'Donnell L, Buikstra JE, Hill EC, Anderson AS, O'Donnell MJ. Skeletal manifestations of disease experience: Length of illness and porous cranial lesion formation in a contemporary juvenile mortality sample. Am J Hum Biol 2023; 35:e23896. [PMID: 36974669 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Porous lesions of the orbit (cribra orbitalia [CO]) and cranial vault (porotic hyperostosis [PH]) are used as skeletal indicators of childhood stress. Because they are understudied in contemporary populations, their relationship to disease experience is poorly understood. This paper examines the relationship between length of childhood illness and CO/PH formation in a clinically documented sample. "Turning points," which identify the window for lesion formation for CO/PH, are defined, implications for hidden heterogeneity in frailty are considered. METHODS Data are from 333 (199 males; 134 females) pediatric postmortem computed tomography scans. Individuals died in New Mexico (2011-2019) and are 0.5 to 15.99 years (mean = 7.1). Length of illness was estimated using information from autopsy and field reports. Logistic regression was used to estimate predicted probabilities, odds ratios, and the temporal window for lesion formation. RESULTS Illness, single bouts, or cumulative episodes lasting over 1 month is associated with higher odds of CO; individuals who were never sick have lower odds of having PH. This relationship was consistent for fatal and incidental illnesses that did not cause death. The developmental window for CO formation appears to close at 8 years. CONCLUSIONS Those ill for over 1 month are more likely to have CO/PH than those with acute illnesses. Some individuals lived sufficiently long to form CO/PH but died of illness. Others with lesions died of circumstances unrelated to disease. This indicates hidden variation in robusticity even among ill individuals with CO/PH, which is vital in interpreting lesion frequencies in the archeological record.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lexi O'Donnell
- College of Population Health, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Jane E Buikstra
- Center for Bioarchaeological Research, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Ethan C Hill
- Division of Physical Therapy, Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Amy S Anderson
- Department of Anthropology, University of California - Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Michael J O'Donnell
- Bureau of Business & Economic Research, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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Reineke RC, Soler A, Beatrice J. Towards a forensic anthropology of structural vulnerability. Forensic Sci Int Synerg 2023; 6:100332. [PMID: 37249968 PMCID: PMC10209806 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2023.100332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Anthropologists have theorized structural vulnerability as a way to understand forms of violence that disenfranchise certain parts of a population, leading to poorer health outcomes and increased risk of death. Recently, forensic anthropologists have used these theories to better understand the ways in which individual decedents in forensic contexts may be linked collectively through structural conditions. A recent example is the proposal of a "structural vulnerability profile." Based on research and casework done in the context of migrant deaths along the US-Mexico border, we caution against the use of a "profile," which suggests a categorical approach that could lead to negative unintended consequences in the future. Instead, we argue for continued development of practices that allow for observation, documentation, and interdisciplinary discussion of evidence of structural violence revealed during a death investigation. Specifically, we argue for an approach that grounds such observations within a particular social and historical context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin C. Reineke
- The Southwest Center, University of Arizona, 1401 E. First St., P.O. Box 210185, Tucson, AZ, 85721-0185, USA
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, P.O. Box 210030, Tucson, AZ, 85721-0030, USA
| | - Angela Soler
- Forensic Anthropology Unit, Office of Chief Medical Examiner of New York City, 421 E 26th St, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Jared Beatrice
- The College of New Jersey, Social Sciences Building Room 317, P.O. Box 7718, 2000 Pennington Rd., Ewing, NJ, 08628, USA
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Skeletal Markers of Physiological Stress as Indicators of Structural Violence: A Comparative Study between the Deceased Migrants of the Mediterranean Sea and the CAL Milano Cemetery Skeletal Collection. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12020335. [PMID: 36829611 PMCID: PMC9953607 DOI: 10.3390/biology12020335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
Structural violence is an indirect form of violence that can lead to physiological consequences. Interestingly, these physiological disruptions may affect the skeletons and can therefore provide relevant information on violence and way of life in the analysis of skeletal remains. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that migrants who died in the Mediterranean Sea would present physiological cranial stress markers such as cribra orbitalia (CO), porotic hyperostosis (PH), and linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) more frequently and more severely than Italians of the 20th century. With this intent, a total of 164 crania were examined: 139 from deceased migrants recovered from a shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea in 2015, aged between 16 and 35 years old, and 25 of the same age from the CAL Milano Cemetery Skeletal Collection. Both presence and severity of CO, PH, and LEH were evaluated. The data obtained were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank and independence Chi-squared tests to compare the results between the two samples and to test whether there was an association between the sample of migrants and the occurrence of lesions. As a result, CO and PH appeared more frequently and more severely in the migrant sample. In addition, migrants were significantly associated with CO, PH, and LEH (p-values < 0.05). Although this does not imply in any way that CO, PH, and LEH are specific to migration, they should be regarded as indicators of structural violence.
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Gruenthal-Rankin A, Somogyi T, Roome A, DiGangi EA. Beyond the report: Prospects and challenges in forensic anthropological investigations of structural vulnerability. Forensic Sci Int Synerg 2023; 6:100315. [PMID: 36793704 PMCID: PMC9923155 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2023.100315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Forensic anthropologists are increasingly interested in accounting for embodied marginalization in addition to the biological profile. A structural vulnerability framework, which assesses biomarkers of social marginalization in individuals within forensic casework, is worthwhile but its application must be informed by ethical, interdisciplinary perspectives that reject categorizing suffering within the pages of a case report. Drawing from anthropological perspectives, we explore prospects and challenges of evaluating embodied experience in forensic work. Particular attention is paid to how forensic practitioners and stakeholders utilize a structural vulnerability profile within and beyond the written report. We argue that any investigation of forensic vulnerability must: (1) integrate rich contextual data, (2) be evaluated for potential to perpetuate harm, and (3) serve the needs of a diverse array of stakeholders. We call for a community-oriented forensic practice, wherein anthropologists may act as advocates for policy change to disrupt power structures driving vulnerability trends in their region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel Gruenthal-Rankin
- Department of Anthropology, Division of Social Sciences, University of Hawaiʻi- West Oʻahu, HI, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, USA
- Corresponding author. Department of Anthropology, Division of Social Sciences, University of Hawaiʻi- West Oʻahu, HI, USA.
| | - Tessa Somogyi
- Department of Anthropology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Amanda Roome
- Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety, Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown, NY, USA
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Incorporating a structural vulnerability framework into the forensic anthropology curriculum. Forensic Sci Int Synerg 2023; 6:100320. [PMID: 36824678 PMCID: PMC9941869 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2023.100320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
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Adams EJ, Goliath JR. Causative effects of cranial depression fractures: A case study of structural violence and social vulnerability within the Mississippi state asylum. Forensic Sci Int Synerg 2023; 6:100324. [PMID: 36911011 PMCID: PMC9995939 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2023.100324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Cranial depression fractures (CDFs) are often associated with violence in a forensic and bioarchaeological context. Interpretations of CDFs, using a structural vulnerability framework, allow for examination of possible socioeconomic and sociocultural factors that influence an individual's life history. Placement of CDFs in relation to traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and their potential connections to structural violence become essential for analysis. This case study presented Burial 49 from the Mississippi State Lunatic Asylum (MSA). Burial 49 was an adult individual (probable male) who exhibited antemortem trauma to the left parietal bone with an associated CDF. The injury location had the potential to cause a variety of neurological and developmental issues, including difficulty understanding spoken/written language. This case study demonstrates how CDFs, structural violence, and social vulnerabilities might have contributed to an increased risk of MSA admittance and provide context for why this individual was marginalized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise J Adams
- Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
| | - Jesse R Goliath
- Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA.,Cobb Institute of Archaeology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
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Adams DM, Goldstein JZ, Isa M, Kim J, Moore MK, Pilloud MA, Tallman SD, Winburn AP. A conversation on redefining ethical considerations in forensic anthropology. AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/aman.13753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Goldstein JZ, Moe ME, Wiedenmeyer EL, Banks PM, Mavroudas SR, Hamilton MD. Humanitarian action in academic institutions: a case study in the ethical stewardship of unidentified forensic cases. Forensic Sci Res 2022; 7:358-365. [DOI: 10.1080/20961790.2022.2035063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Mariah E. Moe
- Department of Anthropology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA
| | | | - Petra M. Banks
- Department of Anthropology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA
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Decrausaz SL, Cameron ME. A growth area: A review of the value of clinical studies of child growth for palaeopathology. Evol Med Public Health 2022; 10:108-122. [PMID: 35273803 PMCID: PMC8903130 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoac005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of living children demonstrate that early life stress impacts linear growth outcomes. Stresses affecting linear growth may also impact later life health outcomes, including increased cardiometabolic disease risk. Palaeopathologists also assess the growth of children recovered from bioarchaeological contexts. Early life stresses are inferred to affect linear growth outcomes, and measurements of skeletal linear dimensions alongside other bioarchaeological information may indicate the types of challenges faced by past groups. In clinical settings, the impacts of stress on growing children are typically measured by examining height. Palaeopathologists are limited to examining bone dimensions directly and must grapple with incomplete pictures of childhood experiences that may affect growth. Palaeopathologists may use clinical growth studies to inform observations among past children; however, there may be issues with this approach. Here, we review the relationship between contemporary and palaeopathological studies of child and adolescent growth. We identify approaches to help bridge the gap between palaeopathological and biomedical growth studies. We advocate for: the creation of bone-specific growth reference information using medical imaging and greater examination of limb proportions; the inclusion of children from different global regions and life circumstances in contemporary bone growth studies; and greater collaboration and dialogue between palaeopathologists and clinicians as new studies are designed to assess linear growth past and present. We advocate for building stronger bridges between these fields to improve interpretations of growth patterns across human history and to potentially improve interventions for children living and growing today. Studies of living children demonstrate that early life stress impacts linear growth. Stresses affecting linear growth may also impact later life health, including cardiometabolic disease risk. Palaeopathologists also investigate if children and adolescents recovered from bioarchaeological contexts experienced growth disruptions due to early life challenges. In clinical settings, the impacts of stress on growing children are typically measured by examining height. Palaeopathologists are limited to examining bone dimensions directly and must grapple with incomplete pictures of childhood experiences that may affect growth. Here, we review the relationship between contemporary and palaeopathological studies of child and adolescent growth. We advocate for: the creation of bone-specific growth reference information using medical imaging and greater examination of limb proportions; the inclusion of children from different global regions and life circumstances in contemporary bone growth studies; and greater collaboration and dialogue between palaeopathologists and clinicians as new studies are designed to assess linear growth past and present. These steps may improve interpretations of growth patterns across human history and interventions for children living and growing today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah-Louise Decrausaz
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, Cornett Building, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Michelle E Cameron
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, 19 Ursula Franklin Street, Toronto, ON M5S 2S2, Canada
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