Estimation of the Length of Femur from its Distal Fragments

Fragmented skeletal remains are often presented for forensic evaluation which makes it difficult for the forensic investigator to derive basic anthropological profile of the decedent(s). Research workers have been trying to develop techniques that will enable them to overcome these problems. Earlier attempts notably by McKern and Steel were not successful when it was put to actual practice because of the vague nature of some of the vital anatomical landmarks. To overcome these, Simmons et al came up with a new approach. We adopted this technique to estimate length of femur from its fragments by analyzing 128 adult intact femora. The regression formulae thus obtained can be used while analyzing skeletal remains from North Indian population.