The Difficulty of Sexing Skeletons from Unknown Populations
Table 2
(a) Results of sex estimation of a series of skeletons by a number of metric methods recommended by forensic anthropology texts. Numbers (1), (2), and so forth in columns indicate results of different discriminant function equations by the same authors. (b) Results of sex estimation of a series of skeletons by a number of descriptive methods recommended by forensic anthropology texts. Numbers (1) and (2) in column 14 indicate results of two different discriminant function equations by the same author.
(a)
Methods
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Specimen number
Specimen label
Femoral dimensions
Talar/calcaneal discriminant functions
Humeral discriminant functions
Cranial discriminant functions
Cranial discriminant functions
Scapular discriminant functions
Scapular discriminant functions
1
A
(1) Male (2) Cautiously male (3) Cautiously male (4) Male
(1) Male (2) Male (3) Male (4) Male (5) Male
(1) Male (2) Male
(1) Male (2) Male
(1) (2) Male (3) (4) Male (5)
(1) Male (2) Male (3) Male (4) Male (5) Male
(1) Male (2) Male (3) Male (4) Male (5) Male
(6) Male (7) Male (8) Male (9) Male (10) Male
2
B
(1) Male (2) Ambiguous (3) Male (4) Cautiously male
A skeleton of an adult from the Abbie Museum of Anatomy, University of Adelaide. A skeleton of known sex, age, and race from a donated cadaver: White Australian male who died at age XX years. Skeletons of individuals of unknown sex, age, and race used as teaching aids in Ray Last Dissection Laboratory. Skeletons of individuals of unknown sex, age, and race from the Abbie Museum of Anatomy, University of Adelaide. Boxed half-skeletons of unknown sex, age, and race from University of Adelaide, teaching collection. Some traits were excluded due to their absence on the skeleton.
(b)
Methods
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Specimen number
Specimen label
Cranial descriptive (morphological) traits
Pelvic descriptive (morphological) traits
Pelvic descriptive (morphological) trait
Pelvic descriptive (morphological) traits
Mandibular descriptive (morphological) traits
Score based on sexual dimorphism of humeral traits
Cranial, pelvic, and femoral descriptive (morphological) traits
Discriminant analysis of scored cranial descriptive (morphological) traits
1
A
(i) 12/13 traits indicate male (ii) 1/13 traits indicate female
16/16 traits indicate male
(3) indicates male
3/3 traits indicate male
(+2) indicates male
Score: 5/15 Indicates male
(0.91) indicates male
(1) Male (2) Female
2
B
(i) 10/12 traits indicate male (ii) 2/12 traits indicate female
(i) 12/16 traits indicate male (ii) 4/16 traits indicate female
(2) ambiguous
(i) 2/3 traits indicate male (ii) 1/3 traits indicate female
(+4) indicates male
Score: 6/15 Indicates male
(0.78) indicates male
(1) Male (2) Male
3
1
(i) 2/13 traits indicate male (ii) 11/13 traits indicate female
(i) 3/16 traits indicate male (ii) 13/16 traits indicate female
(2) ambiguous
3/3 traits indicate female
(+2) indicates male
Score: 10/15 Indicates female
(−0.97) indicates female
(1) Female (2) Female
4
2
(i) 7/13 traits indicate male (ii) 6/13 traits indicate female
(i) 11/16 traits indicate male (ii) 5/16 traits indicate female
(4) indicates male
3/3 traits indicate male
(+4) indicates male
Score: 6/15 Indicates male
(0.72) indicates male
(1) Male (2) Male
5
3
13/13 traits indicate male
16/16 traits indicate male
(4) indicates male
(i) 2/3 traits indicate male (ii) 1/3 traits indicate female
(+2) indicates male
Score: 6/15 Indicates male
(1.13) indicates male
(1) Male (2) Male
6
4
(i) 10/12 traits indicate male (ii) 2/12 traits indicate female
(i) 15/16 traits indicate male (ii) 1/16 traits indicate female
(2) ambiguous
3/3 traits indicate male
() (mandible absent)
Score: /15 (humeri absent)
(0.52) indicates male
() Mandible absent
7
5
(i) 8/13 traits indicate male (ii) 5/13 traits indicate female
(i) 15/16 traits indicate male (ii) 1/16 traits indicate female
(4) indicates male
(i) 2/3 traits indicate male (ii) 1/3 traits indicate female
(−2) indicates female
Score: 4/15 Indicates male
(0.47) indicates male
(1) Male (2) Male
8
6
(i) 6/13 traits indicate male (ii) 7/13 traits indicate female
(i) 11/16 traits indicate male (ii) 5/16 traits indicate female
(5) indicates male
(i) 2/3 traits indicate male (ii) 1/3 traits indicate female
(−2) indicates female
Score: 7/15 Indicates male
(0.28) indicates male
(1) Male (2) Male
9
7
(i) 6/13 traits indicate male (ii) 7/13 traits indicate female
(i) 14/16 traits indicate male (ii) 2/16 traits indicate female
(4) indicates male
(i) 2/3 traits indicate male (ii) 1/3 traits indicate female
(+3) indicates male
Score: 6/15 Indicates male
(0.19) indicates male
(1) Male (2) Male
10
AM1
(i) 8/13 traits indicate male (ii) 5/13 traits indicate female
(i) 14/16 traits indicate male (ii) 2/16 traits indicate female
(5) indicates male
3/3 traits indicate male
(−2) indicates female
Score: 10/15 Indicates female
(0.59) indicates male
(1) Male (2) Male
11
AM2
(i) 7/13 traits indicate male (ii) 6/13 traits indicate female
(i) 14/16 traits indicate male (ii) 2/16 traits indicate female
(4) indicates male
(i) 2/3 traits indicate male (ii) 1/3 traits indicate female
(+2) indicates male
Score: 6/15 Indicates male
(0.28) indicates male
(1) Male (2) Male
12
AM3
(i) 10/13 traits indicate male (ii) 3/13 traits indicate female
(i) 11/16 traits indicate male (ii) 5/16 traits indicate female
(3) indicates male
3/3 traits indicate male
(0) indicates male
Score: 10/15 Indicates female
(−0.25) indicates female
(1) Male (2) Female
13
AM4
(i) 12/13 traits indicate male (ii) 1/13 traits indicate female
(i) 15/16 traits indicate male (ii) 1/16 traits indicate female
(5) indicates male
3/3 traits indicate male
(+2) indicates male
Score: 7/15 Indicates male
(1.0) indicates male
(1) Male (2) Male
14
AM5
(i) 10/13 traits indicate male (ii) 3/13 traits indicate female
(i) 15/16 traits indicate male (ii) 1/16 traits indicate female
(4) indicates male
(i) 2/3 traits indicate male (ii) 1/3 traits indicate female
(0) indicates male
Score: 7/15 Indicates male
(0.78) indicates male
(1) Male (2) Male
15
HS-041
(i) 11/13 traits indicate male (ii) 2/13 traits indicate female
(i) 14/16 traits indicate male (ii) 2/16 traits indicate female
(5) indicates male
3/3 traits indicate male
(+4) indicates male
Score: 6/15 Indicates male
(0.97) indicates male
(1) Male (2) Male
16
HS-038
(i) 7/13 traits indicate male (ii) 6/13 traits indicate female
(i) 13/15 traits indicate male (ii) 2/15 traits indicate female
(3) indicates male
3/3 traits indicate male
(+3) indicates male
Score: 4/15 Indicates male
(0.75) indicates male
(1) Male (2) Male
17
HS-039
(i) 12/13 traits indicate male (ii) 1/13 traits indicate female
(i) 13/16 traits indicate male (ii) 3/16 traits indicate female
(3) indicates male
3/3 traits indicate male
(+1) indicates male
Score: 6/15 Indicates male
(1.13) indicates male
(1) Male (2) Male
18
HS-012
(i) 11/12 traits indicate male (ii) 1/12 traits indicate female
16/16 traits indicate male
(4) indicates male
3/3 traits indicate male
() mandible absent
Score: 5/15 Indicates male
(0.70) indicates male
() Mandible absent
19
SC-002
(i) 3/13 traits indicate male (ii) 10/13 traits indicate female
(i) 13/16 traits indicate male (ii) 3/16 traits indicate female
(3) indicates male
3/3 traits indicate male
(−2) indicates female
Score: 7/15 Indicates male
(−0.13) indicates female
(1) Male (2) Male
20
SC-003
(i) 3/13 traits indicate male (ii) 10/13 traits indicate female
(i) 13/16 traits indicate male (ii) 3/16 traits indicate female
(3) indicates male
3/3 traits indicate male
(+2) indicates male
Score: 4/15 Indicates male
(−0.09) indicates female
(1) Male (2) Male
A skeleton of an adult from the Abbie Museum of Anatomy, University of Adelaide. A skeleton of known sex, age, and race from a donated cadaver: White Australian male who died at age XX years. Actual skeletons of individuals of unknown sex, age, and race used as teaching aids in dissection rooms. Skeletons of individuals of unknown sex, age, and race from the Abbie Museum of Anatomy, University of Adelaide. Boxed half-skeletons of unknown sex, age, and race from University of Adelaide. Some traits were excluded due to their absence on the skeleton.
