Can stature estimation formulas derived from foot measurements of living people apply to cadavers?

Abstract

In almost all of the studies that propose formulas for estimating stature from foot measurements of livings, it has been stated that the stature formulas obtained can be used on dismembered body parts and/or cadavers. No study was made to estimate the body height from the foot measurements of cadavers. In this study, it was tested whether stature estimation formulas developed from foot measurements of living individuals were successful in predicting the actual height of cadavers. In this study, the three anthropometric measurements (stature, foot length, and foot breadth) were taken from 136 cadavers (76 males and 60 females) aged between 18-50 years. Various stature estimation formulas based on foot dimensions of living people were applied to our cadaver sample. When the published formulas derived from Turkish and non-Turkish populations were applied on our sample, it was observed that the equations yielded overestimations, varied averagely between +2 to +9 cm and +6 to +12 cm, respectively. Therefore, recommended stature estimation formulas derived from the foot measurements based on living people should be used with caution when applying forensic cases.

Keywords

• Forensic anthropology
• stature estimation
• foot measurements
• cadavers

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