Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Pathology

Transcription

1 Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Pathology 39 Chapter 3 Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Pathology The State of the Art Eugénia Cunha and Cristina Cattaneo Summary This chapter presents a critical analysis of forensic anthropology. An evaluation of the conception of forensic anthropology across European and American countries is attempted. Furthermore, the authors set out to identify the growing fields in which the anthropologist is involved, alone or together with forensic pathologists. Certification, training requirements, and teaching are rather heterogeneous across the several countries analyzed. Yet, although the forensic anthropologist profile is not easy to achieve, particularly across Europe, the authors were able to identify some efforts not yet enough, however toward the uniformization of the most reliable procedures in order to face the increasing and new challenges of forensic anthropology. The authors recognize at least 11 sub-areas in which the forensic anthropologist can be involved, which is a good witness of the exponential growth of this discipline in recent years. Key Words: Forensic anthropology; forensic pathology; interdisciplinarity; Europe. 1. INTRODUCTION The main aim of this chapter is twofold: to evaluate whether the concept of forensic anthropology is the same across European and American countries, From Forensic Anthropology and Medicine: Complementary Sciences From Recovery to Cause of Death Edited by: A. Schmitt, E. Cunha, and J. Pinheiro Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ 39

2 40 Cunha and Cattaneo and to identify the growing fields in which the anthropologist is involved, together with forensic pathologists or physicians specialized in legal medicine. 2. WHAT IS FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY? HOW DOES IT COMPLEMENT FORENSIC PATHOLOGY? WHO IS THE FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGIST? What is a forensic anthropologist? Particularly across Europe, this is a very delicate issue, and it may concern experience and training more so than specific academic qualifications, at least at the moment. In Anglo-Saxon countries, namely the United States and the United Kingdom, the forensic anthropologist falls into a defined category, i.e., that of an individual who practices forensic anthropology (FA), this being the application of physical anthropology to the forensic context. In the United States, the discipline is more organized at least as far as training is concerned, whereas in Europe, the problem remains intact. In the United States, the Physical Anthropology Section, part of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, has existed since , and has as its main interest the professional profile of the practitioners of FA. In 1977, section members devised a certification procedure (1). In 1989, it was already recognized that a revolution in the training of forensic anthropologists had occurred (2). The rise and development of FA in the United States is indeed well documented (1,3,4). Each year, to maintain their status, diplomates in FA are required to summarize the number and types of cases they have reported, which is a good way to track the work being done in the field (1), although regulations may change drastically from state to state. In the United States, several universities offer graduate and postgraduates courses in FA, which, along with the great amount of publications on the topic (entire books included) in particular during the last 5 yr, testify to the growth of this discipline in North America. The reality in Europe is now quite different. Again, in the United States, for some states, such as Tennessee, there are statistics of FA casework that date back to 1971 (5,6). For Canada, figures on number of cases are also available (7). Some European countries, or at least some cities of these countries (8,9), have these types of data as well, but, as far as the authors know, a comparison between different countries was never performed, which precludes an accurate comparison with the American reality. Finally, whereas in the United States, FA is a fully regulated profession (10), in Europe, as far as the authors know, only in England is FA credibility achieved by means of the Council for the Registration of Forensic Practitioners.

3 Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Pathology 41 Although the history of FA is out of the scope of the present article (see Chapter 1), this brief chapter comments on the situation of FA in Europe with respect to the United States and illustrates the existence of asymmetries. In Europe, a European workshop on FA has been taught every second year since its first edition in Brest in 1991 (with some cosponsoring by the Smithsonian Institution [11]). At present, some courses on this matter are being given by universities in the United Kingdom, the Universities of Dundee (12) and Bradford (13) perhaps offering the most assertive courses. Although subsequent employment is definitely a problematic issue, Black (10) points out that there is already saturation of these courses, with students on waiting lists. In Norway, FA is taught as part of a forensic odontology course (14). In Spain, there are some intensive courses in FA, such as the one of the University of Granada, whereas in Portugal, FA is taught both at the masters and postgraduate levels in forensic medicine and/or forensic sciences. In Italy, only the University of Milan offers postgraduate and masters courses, whereas other universities have organized workshop-type courses. Thus, across Europe, the issue of training is very poor and not homogeneous, and the quality of such training cannot be ascertained. This is certainly an issue to solve.* The other issue is that it is very unlikely that there will be even when FA will be well known to judges a large market for individuals specialized only in FA. An imbalance of number of students and job opportunities is already evident. It is very difficult to perform a crosscountry analysis of the status of FA and anthropologists in Europe, with regard to professionalism, training, and type of work, as has been done for the United States. Only recently have people who work in the field across Europe started discussing, comparing notes, and approaching the issue. Thus, only in recent times has the need for the constitution of a European association where these types of questions are discussed and solved appeared. Hence, the main goals of the recently formed the Forensic Anthropology Society of Europe (15), a subsection of the International Academy of Legal Medicine, are education, harmonization, and certification, along with the promotion of research. The Profile and Training of Forensic Anthropologists in Europe has to be defined in detail. Taking into account that the reality is different from one country to another and that the issue of unidentified cadavers and human remains is almost unknown (16), a call for FA in Europe is mandatory (9). In the United States, the background of experts on FA is essentially physical anthropology (Krogman, Ubelaker, Galloway, Simmons, and others). This * E. Baccino (one of the authors in this book) had his article, which addressed this issue, published in the International Journal of Legal Medicine in November 2005 (16a).

4 42 Cunha and Cattaneo is clearly perceptible through the definition of FA given by Ubelaker: FA represents the application of knowledge and techniques of human skeletal biology to modern medical legal problems (17). In Europe, the reality is much more diverse. In Spain, the great majority of individuals practicing FA have a medical formation (Canarias, Granada, San Sebastian, Barcelona). In Portugal, physical anthropology is the basic formation of the majority of experts who deal with cases, with an increasing collaboration between forensic pathology (FP) and FA in the last 5 yr (18). In France, FA cases are mainly dealt with by experts with a medical formation (Montpellier, Toulouse, Marseille). England has the strongest relation between archaeology and FA. Inclusively, FA courses are taught in archaeological departments (19,20). Yet Sue Black, perhaps the best-known FA in the United Kingdom, considers that FA is clearly still in its infancy in the UK, and I suspect that the next 10 years will see it approach maturity. When analyzing the expansion of this discipline in her country, she says that its origin is difficult to interpret. Whilst it would of course be most tempting to assume that they have arisen directly from the demands of the court, there is the unfortunate possibility that they are, in part, a symptom of popularity (10). In German-speaking countries, the concept of FA has similarities with the American one: application of principles of human biology to questions of identification (21). In Italy, the situation is similar to France, where FA is still a domain of forensic pathologists who have some expertise with human bones in the more favorable cases (Milan, Bari), although in some cities (Milan, Bologna), biologists with anthropology training and physical anthropologists are beginning to approach the field. In Central and South America, the development of FA presents strong asymmetries. Despite the obvious need of FA expertise, discrepancies do exist. Whereas some countries, such as Argentina and Guatemala, have some of the best-known groups in FA, the Equipo Argentino de Antropologia Forense (22) and Fundacion/Equipo de Antropologia Forense de Guatemala (23), respectively, others, such as Brazil, are far from having experts in FA. As far as the authors know, in Brazil, there are almost no offices exclusively assigned to analyze skeletal remains. The progress of FA in Latin America has been described in several reviews (see also refs. 24 and 25). One of the obstacles to overcome in Europe is a cultural one. In fact, in many countries there still seems to be a distinct division between experts who work in the forensic scenario, namely forensic pathologists, and those who work in the anthropological context, mainly anthropologists working on archaeological material. The scientific and forensic community has come to realize that there exists a void when human remains are found in the forensic

5 Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Pathology 43 scenario. Most forensic pathologists do not have training or a background in anthropology and osteology, whereas classic anthropologists may not be used to working with human remains still bearing some soft tissue or those found in a modern criminal context. Although the basic element underneath both analyses is the same the human skeleton practice/experience with remains from forensic settings is indeed essential. The medicolegal way of thinking is something that comes with experience, and it is quite different from the approach of one who is reconstructing life from an archaeological skeleton. The biological information that is sought from the skeleton is the same in both circumstances (sex, age, ancestry, stature, etc.); however, the consequences of the application are not identical. Whereas in a forensic case an error in sex determination could have serious consequences, if the sex of a medieval individual is not correctly determined, the consequences may not be as serious. Moreover, increasingly, FA cases are not exclusively restricted to dry bones. Experience with remains with soft tissues is therefore also required. Physical anthropologists have always been if ethnographists, cultural anthropologists, and geneticists who work on human variation are set aside (and even here, the fields superimpose one another) considered experts in human osteology. Thus, the anthropologist s contribution to anything coming from the forensic scenario traditionally deals with aging, sexing, and determination of ancestry, stature, and so forth. In other words, anything similar to what the anthropologist s task is when studying skeletal remains of ancient populations. However, traditional anthropology is not enough for the forensic context. The matter of frontal sinus analysis for identification or identification by bone morphology in general is not approached at all by anthropologists dealing with remains from archaeological contexts. Matching the tears and cuts on the coat, t-shirt, etc., with those seen on the skeleton is obviously another issue out of the scope of those dealing with skeletons hundreds or thousands of years old. It therefore becomes evident that the forensic anthropologist also has to deal with remains that bear soft tissue, such as severely putrefied remains or burned remains, or with skeletal material that bears signs of a violent death. In a way, soft tissues are not a monopoly of the forensic pathologist anymore. This means that the forensic anthropologist needs more thorough training in forensics. Even from a conceptual point of view, approaching similar problems involves acquiring a certain mentality, a modus pensandi that is necessary when discussing most probable, possible, or incompatible determination, which is typical of the forensic pathologist. On the other hand, the forensic pathologist, given the extreme potential of osteological analysis, cannot also carry the burden of knowing how to interpret every single sign left on bone material, nor can the forensic pathologist (if untrained in

6 44 Cunha and Cattaneo anthropology and osteology) read and interpret the clean bones, perform sexing, aging, pathological studies on such material. Still, in agreement with Black (10), many police officers, coroners, procurator fiscals, and even forensic pathologists have commented on how amazed they are at the amount of information an osteologist can extract from the skeleton. In other words, both quantity and quality of information registered on the bones can only be decodified by experienced forensic anthropologists. Clearly, a fusion has to occur. This is the reason why it is very difficult to categorize as far as provenance or training is concerned a forensic anthropologist. It can be an anthropologist who, in some way, has specialized in subdisciplines related to FP, or a pathologist who has specialized in osteology or physical anthropology. However, the best solution is to always have the two working together. True interdisciplinarity is like that. Even if a forensic anthropologist assists in many autopsies, he or she will never be a forensic pathologist as a result of that experience. The opposite situation is also valid: a forensic pathologist with some FA cases performed will not be a forensic anthropologist. Furthermore, FA, as a forensic science, cannot be compared with forensic odontology, toxicology, botany, or entomology. These last examples all have to do with a very restricted aspect of the body or body parts, or with biological phenomena related to other parts of biology or sciences more in general. The anthropologist and pathologist both have to deal with the human body in toto: the more soft tissue on it, the more it is the domain of the pathologist, the more skeletonized, decomposed or burned, the more it is the domain of the anthropologist. However, these extremes encompass a large spectrum, full of notions and continuous new information, which, perhaps, will always require the combination of these two figures. A forensic pathologist will always be more at ease with a fresh cadaver, whereas an anthropologist deals mainly with skeletal remains. It should be borne in mind that the same cadaver can show various stages of conservation, which is a very good illustration of the interdisciplinary nature of expertise (see Chapter 7). Judicial requests for solutions of anthropological problems from judges are increasing not only in quantity, but also in quality. Yet in this respect, the situation in United States and Europe is quite different. What are the identification methods accepted by the courts? Whereas in North America, it is frequent to see forensic anthropologists give their testimony in court, in the Old World, this happens very rarely. Again, whereas in the United States, the question of admissibility of scientific evidence in what concerns FA is being regulated, since the Daubert case (26 28), European countries lack rules on this matter and on many other FP matters. The FA investigation has to be undertaken with the perspective of being presented to a court. FA should be

7 Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Pathology 45 ready to defend its methodologies whenever required. Subscribing Rogers and Allard: the results of FA analyses are of little use if they cannot be admitted into evidence, or, once admitted, cannot be made intelligible and compelling to a jury (26). In order to ensure their admissibility in court, in the United States, FA methods and theory must meet the standards set by Daubert (27,28), and in Canada, those of the Mohan ruling (26,27). Yet, in Europe, as far as the authors know, the question of admissibility of scientific evidence in what concerns FA is not regulated. The only exception is the United Kingdom, where, before the existence of Council for the Registration of Forensic Practitioners, the courts had no credible means of refuting the reports of pseudoexperts (10). As pointed out by Christensen (27), today it is extremely rare for an expert s opinion to be unchallenged in court. For instance, when comparing an antemortem X-ray and postmortem one, an expert has to be objective and precise on how many matching points are required for a positive identification. Regardless of such problems which, nonetheless, need to be solved new frontiers are opening to FA (see Chapter 4). Anthropologists deal with biological diversity; therefore, anthropological experts are required for identification of the living with increasing frequency. Once again, who should perform this task a pathologist, an anthropologist, an odontologist? The best possible answer is maybe all three, individually or together, depending on the case, so long as the expert has proper training and qualifications in the field. This is the main goal toward which growing anthropological societies should strive: education, certification, harmonization, and research in the field. For this reason, it seems important to summarize briefly the classic and more modern roles of FA in the world of legal medicine. 3. CLASSIC AND MODERN ROLES OF FA WITHIN THE MORE GENERAL CONTEXT OF LEGAL MEDICINE There are several areas in which the anthropologist is necessary and indispensable in forensic scenarios, particularly those involving the recovery of human material and identification Recovery of Human Remains/Scene of Crime Scenes of crime in which findings involve human remains can involve the forensic pathologist. However, in several scenarios, the pathologist might not have proper training to retrieve and properly deal with the human remains. The need for interdisciplinarity in the process of recovering buried victims is obvious (30). In this respect, physical anthropologists are key personnel in

8 46 Cunha and Cattaneo the case of skeletonized or partly skeletonized remains and offer an area of expertise that can complement that of the medicolegal staff (29). This is the case of partly skeletonized remains found on surface, badly charred bodies, and buried bodies. In the case of quasiskeletal, skeletal, or charred remains found on surface, the person appointed to observe, register, recover, and generally take care of the remains must have experience in osteology. Lack of such experience may lead to serious errors, such as nonretrieval of skeletonized remains scattered across the surface by fauna. In order to recover the entire skeleton, it is necessary to be able to perform quickly an inventory of all human bones and know how to identify them. Frequently, body parts that are at or near the scene of crime are not collected because of such lack of preparation. In particular, when dealing with nonadult skeletal remains, very small bone pieces can be misidentified or simply not recognized at all by nonexperts. This implies loss of information. Similar or even more difficult problems are encountered in the case of charred bodies where the specialist has to retrieve all body parts scattered in a car, for example, among other debris. A case where the victim was burned all night in an outdoor oven was one of the first Portuguese cases where the police asked for the collaboration of a forensic anthropologist in order to find and identify in situ very small fragments of human remains. Fire is indeed one of the most popular ways to disguise crimes and identity. In the case of buried remains, these must be exhumed and collected with stratigraphical and archaeological strategies. Most anthropologists have experience in excavation; otherwise, a forensic archaeologist should be called in (another subdiscipline of anthropology). Retrieval and registration of remains without archaeological methodology will lead to loss of body parts, loss of stratigraphical information useful for determining the postmortem interval (PMI), and damage to bones that will lead to difficulties in interpreting bone trauma (see Chapter 6) Determining PMI (Is It of Forensic Relevance?) The older human remains are, the more difficult it is to estimate the PMI. Once the remains reach the morgue or the laboratory, the pathologist is left with entomological methods, if soft tissue and larvae are present and very little else for determining PMI. The anthropologist, if it is the case of dry bone, can express an opinion on whether the bone looks archaeological or recent, but nothing more, other than sending the bone for chemical analyses (carbon 14, strontium radioisotopes, etc.). Once again, on-site intervention of a trained anthropologist means being able to verify whether, for example, in the case of commingled skeletal remains found under the road surface, the

9 Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Pathology 47 presence of a high minimum number of individuals could orient toward ancient or historical remains, or indicate which environmental markers (stratigraphy, etc.) may be relevant for PMI determination. The experience of the forensic anthropologist is also essential for the recognition of cemetery remains in a forensic context (7). This is indeed one of the more difficult questions to be answered by FA because of the virtual absence of methods by which to evaluate the PMI, especially if they are out of the context of their retrieval. Sometimes it is impossible to say whether it is a case from past populations or a forensic case. In Portugal, a case is considered an FA as long as no more than 15 yr have passed from the time of death. In Spain, the number of years is 25. In Italy, remains are considered relevant if they are post-world War II. In other countries, this period reaches 70 yr. The problem is that there are no accurate methods with which to quantify PMI, often making it virtually impossible to differentiate between 15 and 50 yr, for example, which has obvious important implications for legal procedures Determining the Human Origin of Remains An important percentage of cases submitted to FA analysis concerns animal remains. In the US FBI statistics presented by Ubelaker in 2001 (4), about 25% of the remains analyzed in the institute in a 25-yr period were animal bones. Most frequently, when bones or body parts are found, it is sometimes evident to nonanthropologists whether they are human. However, in cases of badly burned bones, of fragmented diaphyseal shafts and cranial bones of very small animals, this may not be so evident. A well-trained anthropologist can perform species determination and/or indicate which lab tests may be more useful for this purpose (for example, histological or biomolecular analysis) Building the Biological Profile (Putrefied, Burned, Skeletal, Dismembered) The anthropologist should always work side by side with the pathologist in the case of decomposed unidentified remains. In this case, it is the anthropologist s precise role to determine age, sex, race, height, pathologies, and other anomalies in order to create a biological profile, or, in other words, to generate the osteobiography. Among the big four parameters usually included in the biological profile, ancestry is the most problematic (see Chapter 12). During the autopsy, after adequate histological, genetic, and toxicological sampling has been performed, the forensic anthropologist can observe

10 48 Cunha and Cattaneo the state of the remains, decide whether it is best to completely clean them and study the skeleton (sometimes a clean skeleton can provide much more information than a putrefied body), and be able to give indications on what samples to take. For example, for aging a burned adult body within which the pubic symphysis and teeth are no longer preserved, the anthropologist can suggest alternative methods (e.g., femur slices for histology; see Chapter 11). In the lab, the anthropologist will work at building the biological profile, up to facial reconstruction Craniofacial Reconstruction This technique, which can be performed manually or with computer software, is very imprecise and should be used only to stimulate the memory of observers in order to reach a suspicion of identity. Confronting the public with an image of the victim s face can help in determining identity, particularly in cases where there is no idea who the victim could be. The latest progressions in this field are making it possible to obtain more accurate images (31). This is becoming a very technical and specialized subfield, requiring the aid of experts in digital images and/or artists Personal Identification of Human Remains Personal identity often relies on the presence of idiosyncratic features (5). Observation of distinctive skeletal features and particularly looking for them with the pathologist and/or radiologist may be crucial in identification (see Chapter 15). The triple discrimination between pseudopathology, morphological alteration, and paleopathology is a task for the forensic anthropologist (see Chapter 14). Furthermore, the forensic anthropologist should indicate which skeletal features may be more useful (and thus preserved) for eventual skeletal identification. Although the true prevalence of the great majority of the morphological traits are not known, surely a sternal perforation will be more useful for identification purposes than a septal aperture (see Chapter 14). In addition, the anthropologist has to able to describe the effects of the pathological alterations on the individual lifestyle, such as gait. Because identification is most of all a comparative process, another legal issue is to know how many skeletal features, in accordance between ante- and postmortem record, are enough to decide for a positive identification. This is not yet regulated in Europe, and, understandably, may be a particularly difficult task. One of the methods that identification very often relies on is genetic analysis. In the last decade, identification based on DNA analysis increased

11 Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Pathology 49 so much that, among the nonexperts, the idea that DNA can solve everything started to take a stand. Although the usefulness of DNA analysis is undeniable, it is worthwhile to keep in mind that it cannot be seen as a solution whenever identification is in question. In effect, as identification is above all a comparative process, it only leads to the victim s identity when there is some other DNA for comparison. One setback for DNA could be degradation, particularly in the case of skeletal remains. Thus, the relation between forensic genetics and FA should also be very close, which is well illustrated by the case of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center (29) Assisting in the Determination of Cause and Manner of Death In general, wherever bone traumatic injuries are concerned, the presence of a forensic anthropologist should be mandatory. The forensic anthropologist should always give a statement on the distinction between antemortem, perimortem, and postmortem origin. And, as previously stated, the forensic anthropologist s presence at the autopsy table may be essential, even when some soft tissue is present. An interesting example is the case of charred remains. In such cases, at times, the bone is exposed, but charred periosteum may shrivel over bone lesions (firearm injuries, cut marks, etc.) and makes them invisible unless the bone is cleaned. This can be performed at the autopsy table or, if need be, in the lab. Skeletal or partly skeletonized remains and completely charred bone are best studied in the lab. It is important to bear in mind that the responsibility of cause of death assignment is of the forensic pathologist. Therefore, the forensic anthropologist cannot and should not try to replace the forensic pathologist. The job of the forensic anthropologist is to assist the forensic pathologist in this respect, providing key clues/elements that no other specialist can give Mass Disasters The anthropologist, in the case of mass disasters, can be crucial for many of the reasons stated above, depending on the type of disaster, from recovery of the remains to personal identification and trauma analysis (see Chapter 18). The World Trade Center Identification Project is a good example of the usefulness of FA (29) Mass Graves and War Crimes To a greater extent, forensic anthropologists are heavily committed to assist in human rights investigation. In the excavation of the mass grave, the knowledge of the forensic anthropologist is sometimes irreplaceable because

12 50 Cunha and Cattaneo most of the forensic pathologists do not have this kind of experience. Identification will be mainly achieved by the anthropologist who can also assist the forensic anthropologist in providing information pertaining to the cause of death and torture methods. The participation of anthropologists in international human rights investigations between 1990 and 1999 is thoroughly explained in a recent article by Steadman and Haglund (32). Surveying the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team, the Guatemala Forensic Anthropology Foundation, Physicians for Human Rights, and the UN-sponsored International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia concluded that more than 100 anthropologists had investigated about 1300 sites. Examples of exhumations recently investigated are therefore numerous (33) The Living: Identifying Living Individuals More and more cases see anthropologists involved in the identification of the living. These are frequently cases in which two-dimensional images from video surveillance systems (showing robberies, assaults, and so on) are the only element available for identifying a suspect. This is a completely different aspect of FA that deals with human diversity and strives to verify morphological and metric characteristics that make the physionomy of one person distinct from that of another, or other features, such as ear morphology. The difficulty of facial identification is documented by recent literature (34) Determining the Age of Individuals for Reasons of Imputability It is the case of living subjects with no identification documents. Frequently, these people are arrested and declared underage. Anthropological, radiological, and odontological assessment is required for determining the probability whether they are of or underage (14, 18, or 21 yr, depending on crime and country). This involves skeletal and dental radiological assessment once the issue of ancestry has been taken into consideration (see Chapter 4). In recent times, more and more working groups, with the participation of forensic anthropologists, have been established to investigate questions in the examination of living persons (21,35). Subscribing Schwiy- Bochat (21), the interdisciplinary cooperation of forensic physicians with other scientists in the question of age assessment of adolescents is particularly fruitful.

13 Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Pathology Determining the Age of Subadults in Photographic Material (Child Pornography) Once again, pornographic images can be the object of medicolegal/ anthropological assessment. According to the country and legislation involved, the question frequently asked is what the age of the child or adolescent is (if, for example, under 10, 14, 16, or 18 yr). This is a novel and very difficult aspect of anthropological application of age estimation because facial and secondary sexual characteristics are extremely variable and do not necessarily represent chronological age (36). Alternatively, there is the need to identify children, even those who have disappeared years before; in these cases, artificial aging of images is necessary, which is generally done with specific software. 4. FINAL COMMENTS No doubt FA has shown an exponential growth in the last years. This fact justifies a detailed analysis of this irreplaceable medicolegal discipline. The main aim of this chapter was to evaluate whether the concept of FA is the same in/across European and American countries and to know who the experts practicing FA in those countries are. When this chapter was conceived, one of the aims was to try to achieve the profile of a forensic anthropology expert around a part of the world. Is he or she a medical coroner? Is he or she an anthropologist/biologist? Does he or she work together with forensic pathologists? Does he or she really go to the autopsy table? How often? What about aging the living? Who is performing these cases? Quickly, it was realized that it is not yet possible to answer these questions. Although some statistics exist for the United States (4) and Canada (26), for instance, these figures for Europe are not yet completely quantifiable. Nevertheless, some conclusions can still be drawn with the existing knowledge of the reality of FA worldwide. Different backgrounds of FA lead to the application of different methodologies in the assessment of the biological profile of an individual; the need for international standardization of methodologies within the discipline is thus obvious. Efforts in this direction are being done, among others, by the Forensic Anthropology Society of Europe. The presence of a forensic anthropologist at the autopsy table for specific types of cases is becoming increasingly mandatory. The interdisciplinary nature of this discipline has been obliging to a strong complicity between forensic pathologists and forensic anthropologists. Finally, the fields in which FA has been intervening are clearly in expansion, implying the development of subspecialties inside the discipline.

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