Documented skeletal collections and their importance in forensic anthropology in the United States

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dc.contributor.authorCampanacho, Vanessa
dc.contributor.authorAlves Cardoso, Francisca
dc.contributor.authorUbelaker, Douglas H.
dc.date.accessioned2022-01-26T12:46:52Z
dc.date.available2022-01-26T12:46:52Z
dc.date.issued2021-12-15
dc.description.abstractDocumented skeletal collections are the backbone of forensic anthropology due to their associated biohistories. This paper describes the identified skeletal collections and their relevance in forensic anthropological research, education and training in the US. The establishment of documented skeletal collections in the US can be distinguished into two modus operandi, depending on the stance towards the dead, legislation, and medical and forensic practices. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, anatomists amassed skeletons from cadaver dissections, shaped by European influences. Those skeletons compose the anatomical collections—such as the Robert J. Terry Anatomical Collection—predominantly representing impoverished and unclaimed individuals. Ethical concerns for the curation and research of African American skeletons without family consent are growing in the US. In contrast, since the 1980s, modern documented skeletal collections originated from body donations to human taphonomy facilities, such as the William M. Bass Donated Skeletal Collection. The establishment and testing of osteological methods essential to establish one’s identity—such as age at death and sex—have been developed with skeletons from documented collections. Therefore, the analysis of identified skeletons has been crucial for the development of forensic anthropology in the US.en_UK
dc.description.sponsorshipBone Matters/Matérias Ósseas: IF/00127/2014/CP1233/CT0003 (funded by FCT/Portugal). Life After Death: Rethinking Human Remains and Human Osteological Collections as Cultural Heritage and Biobanks: 2020.01014.CEECIND (funded by FCT/Portugal). Bones Digital Footprint: Insights from Scientometrics and Social Media Analysis (BoDiPrint): UIDB/04038/2020.en_UK
dc.identifier.citationCampanacho V, Alves Cardoso F, Ubelaker DH. (2021) Documented skeletal collections and their importance in forensic anthropology in the United States, Forensic Sciences, Volume 1, Issue 3, December 2021, pp. 228-239en_UK
dc.identifier.issn2673-6756
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.3390/forensicsci1030021
dc.identifier.urihttp://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/17496
dc.language.isoenen_UK
dc.publisherMDPIen_UK
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 International*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/*
dc.subjecthuman osteological collectionsen_UK
dc.subjectidentified skeletal collectionsen_UK
dc.subjectbiographical dataen_UK
dc.subjectethicsen_UK
dc.subjectanatomical collectionsen_UK
dc.subjecthuman taphonomy facilitiesen_UK
dc.subjectunclaimed cadaversen_UK
dc.subjectbody donationsen_UK
dc.subjectbiological profileen_UK
dc.subjectosteobiographiesen_UK
dc.titleDocumented skeletal collections and their importance in forensic anthropology in the United Statesen_UK
dc.typeArticleen_UK

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