Forensic Medicine of the Lower Extremity (Forensic Science and Medicine)

This comprehensive collection of rigorous review articles covers both the scientific and practical aspects of using of lower extremity remains for human identification and trauma analysis. On the scientific side, the authors describe the biochemical events of decomposition, detail the use of radiology to facilitate identification and evaluate trauma, and explain principles of osteology, with an emphasis on the implications for skeletal anatomy for age, sex, race, and height estimation. On the practical side, they apply these approaches to trauma analysis and accident reconstruction, including slip-and-fall incidents, impact, traffic, and pediatric injuries, and considerations of foot and footprint identification. Specific case studies discuss the identification process using the foot and ankle and illuminate the forensic potential of feet, footwear, and barefoot impression evidence.