Authors
Prof T. Nataraja Moorthy, Lao Dinglasa Ivan Nikkimor
Abstract
Physical evidence, called objective material evidence, can bridge the crime and criminals. Stature, gender, and body weight determination play a role in establishing the biological profile of the unknown in forensic investigation. Ethnicity or population should be considered when conducting anthropological research. This study is an international collaborative research, with sample collection in the Philippines and data analysis in Malaysia. The present study examines the relationship between body weight and hand anthropometry among Tagalog people in the Philippines. Volunteers with hand-related disorders and deformities were excluded from the study. The study recruited 180 male and 180 female Tagalogs and recorded the body weight and five hand length measurements from each hand. The collected data were analyzed statistically, and formulae were developed for body weight determination from hand anthropometry in the study population. Keywords: Forensic Science, Body weight, Hand anthropometry, Tagalog, Philippines.
Introduction
Forensic investigators are roaming the crime scenes to locate physical evidence, the only magic wand to solve crimes scientifically. Physical evidence, also called real material evidence, can bridge the crime and criminals. Physical evidence is not only the impression evidence like fingerprints, footprints, toe prints, hair, paint flakes, etc. but also the human body parts like the hand, foot, head, arm and bones. Impression evidence is mainly found in burglary, sexual assault and homicide crime scenes, while human body parts and bones are found in mass disaster incidents like manmade and natural calamities. This physical evidence in the crime scenes may present in the form of fingerprint (Nataraja, 2021), footprint (Nataraja, 2021), handprint (Nataraja and Tee, 2016), hair (Nataraja and Jessica, 2015), charred document, firearms (Mohammad et al., 2016), fire residue (Nataraja, 2021) and many others.
The impression evidence left by the criminals is used to develop regression formulae to determine basic characteristics viz. stature (Nataraja et al., 2014), body weight (Nataraja et al., 2021), and gender (Nataraja and Devina, 2021) as the initial step of investigation for personnel identification. Body weight and body height are the basic characteristics used to describe another person. As a part of the biological profile, body mass can aid personal identification (Zuzana et al., 2018). The literature review shows limited studies on body weight determination from the physical evidence. Hence, the present study aims to determine Tagalog people's body weight in the Philippines by hand anthropometry.
References
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How to cite this article?
| APA Style | Moorthy, Prof. T. N., & Ivan Nikkimor, L. D. (2024). Formulae Development to Determine Living Body Weight from Hand Anthropometry among Tagalog People in the Philippines. Academic Journal of Anthropological Studies, 07(01), 38-42. |
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