Forensic medicine and human identification 73
Pelvic morphology is the best indicator for determining sex, as a woman’s
pelvis is wider and shallower with an obtuse subpubic angle and an oval inlet.
The cranium can also be used to attempt to determine sex, if the pelvis is not
available. A male’s skull tends to have a receding forehead, prominent brow
ridges and occipital protuberance, and a large mastoid process.
If the skeleton is that of a younger person (less than thirty years), growth
plates can help delineate age as the plates tend to close (fuse) at certain stages
Figure 5.18 radiograph of surgical hardware within the thigh at the knee.
Figure 5.19 radiograph of osteophyte formation involving the lumbar spinal
column.