Terry Collection

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The Robert J. Terry Anatomical Skeletal Collection is a collection of some 1,728 human skeletons held by the Department of Anthropology of the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., United States. [1] The skeletons have been widely used in research for anthropology and forensic science.

Contents

Background

It was created by Robert J. Terry (1871–1966) during his time as professor of anatomy and head of the Anatomy Department at Washington University Medical School in St. Louis, Missouri from 1899 until his retirement in 1941. It was transferred to its present holders in 1967. The Terry Collection is composed of skeletons that Terry collected from the Medical School's Gross Anatomy classes during his tenure at Washington University. The majority of the remains that make up the collection came from local hospitals in the St. Louis area, as well as institutional morgues. The remains obtained from these hospitals and institutions were those of individuals who had not been claimed by relatives, effectively making the remains the property of the state. The state of Missouri decided to donate the bodies to the medical school rather than spend taxpayer money to bury them. [1]

The collection is an important source for anthropological research because of the extensive documentation that accompanies each skeleton. Terry attempted to collect data such as morgue records, dental charts, bone inventory forms, and anthropometric and anthroposcopic forms for the majority of the skeletons in the collection. Although methods of data collection changed over the years that the collection was being amassed, the same basic information was consistently collected. This information includes name, sex, age, race, cause of death, date of death, morgue or institution of origin, permit number, and various dates and records that pertain to embalming and processing of the cadaver. Terry also collected other resources for some of the individuals in the collection such as photographs or photo negatives of cadavers, plaster death masks, hair samples, and skin samples. The skin samples, however, had to be disposed of when the Anatomy building underwent renovations in the 1960s and the room they were stored in was removed. [1]

Research using the Terry Collection

There have been considerable amounts of research performed utilizing the skeletal remains within the Robert J. Terry collection. Much of this research has centered around attempts to create new methods of determining biological profile (height, age, sex, and ancestry) from an individual's skeletal remains. Some of the more prominent studies have included ones such as Mildred Trotter and Goldine Gleser's stature estimation from the long bones of American Whites and Negroes, [2] Giles and Elliot's cranial measurements for determining ancestry and sex, Işcan's ancestry determination using the pelvis, DiBennardo and Taylor's method of sex and ancestry assessment utilizing the pelvis and femur, which was later expanded upon by Işcan and Cotton, who included the tibia in the analysis. [3] Other, more modern, studies using the Terry Collection have continued to focus on estimation of sex, ancestry, and stature as well. These include the attempt to estimate sex from the posterior portion of the ilium by Novak, Schultz, and McIntyre, [4] Kindschuh, Dupras, and Cowgill's approach for estimating ancestry utilizing the hyoid, [5] and Albanese's use of the clavicle, humerus, radius, and ulna to estimate sex. [6]

These studies have contributed greatly to the field of anthropology, especially forensic anthropology and bioarchaeology, in that many of the earlier methods, such as Trotter and Gleser's stature estimation formula, are still utilized today in conjunction with more modern methods to assess biological profile of skeletal remains. It is the well documented, and highly detailed, nature of the Terry Collection that has allowed for successful development of these methodologies which are still utilized today. It is this same nature that perpetuates continued use of the Terry Collection for research into skeletal biology and pathology, thus leading to development of more successful methodologies for assessing biological profile and pathological affects on the human skeleton.

The Terry Collection has also contributed to the construction of the Forensic Anthropology Data Bank (FDB), which is large digital database of skeletal measurements taken from various cases since its establishment in 1986. [7] A number of African-American skeletal measurements from the Terry Collection were contributed to the FDB. [8] The FDB is the main data pool that the computer program FORDISC utilizes in order to estimate sex, stature, and ancestry from specific skeletal measurements. [9] FORDISC is primarily utilized in forensic applications, but may be applied to any skeletal measurements providing that they are diagnostic in nature, such as measurements of the skull and long bones.

Forensic anthropological research

As mentioned above, numerous studies have utilized the Robert J. Terry Collection for research and development of skeletal identification techniques. A vast majority have been aimed at advancing forensic anthropology and its methodologies for identification through various aspects of skeletal anatomy. One of the most well known of these studies was performed by Mildred Trotter and Goldine Gleser in 1952. Trotter and Gleser utilized the Terry Collection to create stature estimation formulas for American Whites and Negroes utilizing the long bones of the arm (humerus, radius, and ulna) and of the leg (femur, tibia, and fibula). This was achieved by taking measurements of all of the aforementioned bones and creating regression formulas from the taken measurements. The result was a number of formulas that allow for accurate estimation of the living stature of both American White and African-American males and females from dry bone. [2]

Another well known study that utilized the Terry Collection to create forensic identification methods was the assessment of race/ancestry using the pelvis performed by Mehmet Yaşar Işcan. His study utilized 400 individuals from the Terry collection that encompassed both White and African American male and female pelves of known age and race/ancestry. Measurements of the pelves were taken while they were in articulated form, and then analyzed to determine if successful estimation of race/ancestry was possible. Results indicated that there was the possibility of an 88 percent correct assessment, and that race/ancestry assessment of female pelves was easier than that of male pelves. It was, however, cautioned to use these results carefully due to the fact that a large number of the remains were of low socioeconomic status and of unknown nutritional health. [10]

Bioarchaeological Research

While bioarchaeology benefits from the methodologies that have been developed by forensic anthropological research using the Terry Collection, there are other studies that take a solely bioarchaeological focus. While not nearly as numerous as the forensic studies, they provide a different aspect to and use of the Robert J. Terry Anatomical Collection. Such studies have been conducted by Kristina Killgrove, who aimed at determining biodistance of Native American populations on the North Carolina Coastal Plain and utilized 52 individuals (26 White males and 26 White females) from the Terry Collection as a control group for comparison against the Native American data that was processed. [11]

Further bioarchaeological research using the Terry Collection was performed by Kristrina Schuler and J. Alyssa White of Auburn University in Alabama. Their research focused on reconstructing body mass from skeletal remains and used a sample of 60 individuals (30 males and 30 females) from the Terry Collection in order to make these assessments. They opted to use the Terry Collection because of its highly controlled collection of living weight for many donors. [12]

Potential issues for modern use

While the Robert J. Terry Anatomical Collection has proven to be an excellent source for research in the field of anthropology, specifically forensic anthropology and bioarchaeology, the collection is now over 100 years old and no modern remains have been added. This has raised questions about the collection's applicability to modern populations when compared to collections such as the William Bass Donated Skeletal Collection where modern skeletal remains are still being added to the collection. This is thought to raise problems due to the secular changes that are taking place in American populations. [13] It has been demonstrated that clear secular changes have taken place in North America over the last 100–125 years. [14] This has implications for the applicability of studies utilizing the Terry Collection because these changes could impede the ability to make generalizations that are applicable to modern society from these remains since population statistics are not the same today as they were when the collection was being amassed. It was found, however, that the Robert J. Terry Collection and the William Bass Donated Skeletal Collection only have significant differences between age-at-death and year of birth for individuals in the collection, therefore indicating that the more modern remains in the Terry Collection are still applicable to modern research. [13] There were potential secular differences noted in the males of the Terry collection, however. Females had less significant secular differences when compared to males, and while none of these changes were found to be present in large quantities it does indicate that secular change could be beginning to affect skeletal morphology, specifically that of males. Further research utilizing the Terry Collection, specifically utilizing those individuals born before 1890, is required to determine if these changes are significant and what may be causing them. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthropometry</span> Measurement of the human individual

Anthropometry refers to the measurement of the human individual. An early tool of physical anthropology, it has been used for identification, for the purposes of understanding human physical variation, in paleoanthropology and in various attempts to correlate physical with racial and psychological traits. Anthropometry involves the systematic measurement of the physical properties of the human body, primarily dimensional descriptors of body size and shape. Since commonly used methods and approaches in analysing living standards were not helpful enough, the anthropometric history became very useful for historians in answering questions that interested them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forensic anthropology</span> Application of the science of anthropology in a legal setting

Forensic anthropology is the application of the anatomical science of anthropology and its various subfields, including forensic archaeology and forensic taphonomy, in a legal setting. A forensic anthropologist can assist in the identification of deceased individuals whose remains are decomposed, burned, mutilated or otherwise unrecognizable, as might happen in a plane crash. Forensic anthropologists are also instrumental in the investigation and documentation of genocide and mass graves. Along with forensic pathologists, forensic dentists, and homicide investigators, forensic anthropologists commonly testify in court as expert witnesses. Using physical markers present on a skeleton, a forensic anthropologist can potentially determine a person's age, sex, stature, and race. In addition to identifying physical characteristics of the individual, forensic anthropologists can use skeletal abnormalities to potentially determine cause of death, past trauma such as broken bones or medical procedures, as well as diseases such as bone cancer.

Osteology is the scientific study of bones, practised by osteologists. A subdiscipline of anatomy, anthropology, and paleontology, osteology is the detailed study of the structure of bones, skeletal elements, teeth, microbone morphology, function, disease, pathology, the process of ossification, and the resistance and hardness of bones (biophysics).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bone age</span> Degree of a persons skeletal development

Bone age is the degree of a person's skeletal development. In children, bone age serves as a measure of physiological maturity and aids in the diagnosis of growth abnormalities, endocrine disorders, and other medical conditions. As a person grows from fetal life through childhood, puberty, and finishes growth as a young adult, the bones of the skeleton change in size and shape. These changes can be seen by x-ray and other imaging techniques. A comparison between the appearance of a patient's bones to a standard set of bone images known to be representative of the average bone shape and size for a given age can be used to assign a "bone age" to the patient.

The term bioarchaeology has been attributed to British archaeologist Grahame Clark who, in 1972, defined it as the study of animal and human bones from archaeological sites. Redefined in 1977 by Jane Buikstra, bioarchaeology in the United States now refers to the scientific study of human remains from archaeological sites, a discipline known in other countries as osteoarchaeology, osteology or palaeo-osteology. Compared to bioarchaeology, osteoarchaeology is the scientific study that solely focus on the human skeleton. The human skeleton is used to tell us about health, lifestyle, diet, mortality and physique of the past. Furthermore, palaeo-osteology is simple the study of ancient bones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mildred Trotter</span> American anthropologist

Mildred Trotter was an American pioneer as a forensic historian and forensic anthropologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forensic facial reconstruction</span> Recreating faces from skeletal remains

Forensic facial reconstruction is the process of recreating the face of an individual from their skeletal remains through an amalgamation of artistry, anthropology, osteology, and anatomy. It is easily the most subjective—as well as one of the most controversial—techniques in the field of forensic anthropology. Despite this controversy, facial reconstruction has proved successful frequently enough that research and methodological developments continue to be advanced.

FORDISC is a software program created by Stephen Ousley and Richard Jantz. It is designed to help forensic anthropologists investigate the identity of a deceased person by providing estimates of the person's size, ethnicity, and biological sex based on the osteological material recovered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cephalometry</span> Study and measurement of the head

Cephalometry is the study and measurement of the head, usually the human head, especially by medical imaging such as radiography. Craniometry, the measurement of the cranium (skull), is a large subset of cephalometry. Cephalometry also has a history in phrenology, which is the study of personality and character as well as physiognomy, which is the study of facial features. Cephalometry as applied in a comparative anatomy context informs biological anthropology. In clinical contexts such as dentistry and oral and maxillofacial surgery, cephalometric analysis helps in treatment and research; cephalometric landmarks guide surgeons in planning and operating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skeletonization</span> Remains of an organism after soft tissues have broken down after death

Skeletonization is the state of a dead organism after undergoing decomposition. Skeletonization refers to the final stage of decomposition, during which the last vestiges of the soft tissues of a corpse or carcass have decayed or dried to the point that the skeleton is exposed. By the end of the skeletonization process, all soft tissue will have been eliminated, leaving only disarticulated bones.

The University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility, better known as the Body Farm and sometimes seen as the Forensic Anthropology Facility, was conceived in 1971 and established in 1972 by anthropologist William M. Bass as the first facility for the study of decomposition of human remains. It is located a few miles from downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, US, behind the University of Tennessee Medical Center, and is part of the Forensic Anthropology Center, which was established by Dr. Bass in 1987.

Richard L. Jantz is an American anthropologist. He served as the director of the University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility from 1998–2011 and he is the current Professor Emeritus of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His research focuses primarily on forensic anthropology, skeletal biology, dermatoglyphics, anthropometry, anthropological genetics, and human variation, as well as developing computerized databases in these areas which aid in anthropological research. The author of over a hundred journal articles and other publications, his research has helped lead and shape the field of physical and forensic anthropology for many years.

The Phenice method is a technique of determining the sex of a human skeleton from the innominate pelvis. In the procedure, sex is determined based on three features: the ventral arc, the subpubic concavity, and the medial aspect of the ischio-pubic ramus. As a non-metric absolute method, it relies on the recognition of discrete male and female traits. This makes the method objective, easily performable, and relatively quick. It is considered highly accurate, up to 96%, owing to the distinct biological differences between male and female anatomy in the pelvis, making it a highly useful method for those determining the sex of a skeleton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cranid</span>

CranID was created in 1992 by anthropologist Richard Wright of the University of Sydney to infer the probable geographic origin of unknown crania that are found in archaeological, forensic and repatriation cases. Wright created the program to establish uniformity in cranial morphology based on the assumption that there is a high correlation between geographical location and cranial morphology. This was the first standardized program to evaluate the similarity and dissimilarity of cranial morphological characteristics of an unknown cranium and the database.

Osteoware is a free data recording software for human skeletal material that is managed through the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. It is used by biological anthropologists to document data relevant to research and forensic applications of human skeletal remains in a standardized and consistent way. It has influenced other skeletal recording software, and has been successfully used at the Smithsonian for collecting data relevant to biological anthropology. Osteoware is the only free, individual-use software for the collection of data on skeletal material in anthropology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Estimation of stature</span>

Forensic estimation of stature is part of the identification process necessary when dismembered body parts are found. It is also possible to estimate the stature from bones. Even measurements of body parts of body such as a finger can be used to estimate the stature.

Mortuary archaeology is the study of human remains in their archaeological context. This is a known sub-field of bioarchaeology, which is a field that focuses on gathering important information based on the skeleton of an individual. Bioarchaeology stems from the practice of human osteology which is the anatomical study of skeletal remains. Mortuary archaeology, as well as the overarching field it resides in, aims to generate an understanding of disease, migration, health, nutrition, gender, status, and kinship among past populations. Ultimately, these topics help to produce a picture of the daily lives of past individuals. Mortuary archaeologists draw upon the humanities, as well as social and hard sciences to have a full understanding of the individual.

Lucile Eleanor St. Hoyme was an American biological anthropologist who conducted research related to human variation, bioarcheology, and paleopathology. St. Hoyme served as an Assistant Curator in the Department of Anthropology at the National Museum of Natural History. St. Hoyme analyzed human remains excavated from the John Kerr Reservoir Basin using a new bioarcheological approach combining data from other disciplines. Beyond her work with the Smithsonian collections, St. Hoyme also worked on FBI forensic cases in the 1960s with National Museum of Natural History Anthropology Curator J. Lawrence Angel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Near Eastern bioarchaeology</span> Archaeological sub-discipline

Near Eastern bioarchaeology covers the study of human skeletal remains from archaeological sites in Cyprus, Egypt, Levantine coast, Jordan, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen.

Goldine C. Gleser was an American psychologist and statistician known for her research on the statistics of psychological testing, on generalizability theory, on defence mechanisms, on the psychological effects on child survivors of the Buffalo Creek flood, for her work with Mildred Trotter on estimation of stature, and for her participation in the Cincinnati Radiation Experiments. She was a professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Cincinnati.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Robert J. Terry Anatomical Skeletal Collection, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, USA.Hunt, D.R. and J. Albanese 2005 History and demographic composition of the Robert J. Terry Anatomical Collection. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 127:406-417.
  2. 1 2 Trotter, Mildred; Gleser, Goldine C. (1952). "Estimation of stature from long bones of American Whites and Negroes" (PDF). American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 10: 463–514. doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330100407. PMID   13007782.
  3. ↑ Blau, Soren; Ubelaker, Douglas H. (2009). Handbook of Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press INC. pp. 191–195. ISBN   978-1-61132-793-9.
  4. ↑ Novak, Lauren; Schultz, John J.; McIntyre, Matthew (2012). "Determining Sex of the Posterior Ilium from the Robert J. Terry and William M. Bass Collections". Journal of Forensic Sciences. 57 (5): 1155–1160. doi:10.1111/j.1556-4029.2012.02122.x.
  5. ↑ Kindschuh, Sarah C.; Dupras, Tasha L.; Cowgill, Libby W. (2012). "Exploring Ancestral Variation of the Hyoid". Journal of Forensic Sciences. 57 (1): 41–46. doi:10.1111/j.1556-4029.2011.01962.x.
  6. ↑ Albanese, John (2013). "A Method for Estimating Sex Using the Clavicle, Humerus, Radius, and Ulna". Journal of Forensic Sciences. 58 (6): 1413–1419. doi:10.1111/1556-4029.12188.
  7. ↑ "UT Knoxville | Forensic Anthropology Center | Forensic Anthropology Data Bank". fac.utk.edu. Archived from the original on 2015-10-29. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
  8. ↑ "FORDISC Help File Version 1.35" (PDF). math.mercyhurst.edu. n.d. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Fordisc 3 home page". math.mercyhurst.edu. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
  10. ↑ Işcan, M. Y. (1983-10-01). "Assessment of race from the pelvis". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 62 (2): 205–208. doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330620210. ISSN   0002-9483. PMID   6650681.
  11. ↑ Killgrove, Kristina (2009). "Rethinking Taxonomies: Skeletal Variation on the North Carolina Coastal Plain". Southeastern Archaeology. Retrieved 19 Nov 2015.
  12. ↑ "NCUR". ncurdb.cur.org. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
  13. 1 2 3 Yurka, Laura Natalie (2014-01-01). An Evaluation of Metric Methods of Race Differentiation in the Human Pelvic Girdle for the Application of Expert Witness Testimony.
  14. ↑ Albanese, John; Osley, Stephanie E.; Tuck, Andrew (2012-06-10). "Do century-specific equations provide better estimates of stature? A test of the 19-20th century boundary for the stature estimation feature in Fordisc 3.0". Forensic Science International. 219 (1–3): 286.e1-3. doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2011.11.026. ISSN   1872-6283. PMID   22206715.
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