Abstract / Description of output
Objectives
To estimate the sex of a set of mummified right hands from Medieval Germany with the aid of non-invasive Computed Tomography in an effort to shed light to these people's identities. These hands were initially thought to belong to thieves, robbers or impertinent children that were punished by amputation. Recent research identified them in the literature as “Leibzeichen”, body members of unknown individuals murdered in the late middle Ages that represented the dead person in court.
Material and methods
The dimensions of the metacarpal bones are used as a proxy of size differences between males and females. CT scans were used to obtain the measurements. Four different populations-specific equations from the literature were employed and a control sample of modern anatomical specimens and hospital patient's record from Germany were used to validate the equations.
Results
Six hands were classified as male (Münster, Erkeln, HWI 2641 KO, Legden, Goslar, Lunow), of which sex was confirmed with DNA for one (Lunov) and one was inconclusive (HWI 4019 KO).
Conclusion
An approximation of sex for these historical remains was possible using PMCT technology
To estimate the sex of a set of mummified right hands from Medieval Germany with the aid of non-invasive Computed Tomography in an effort to shed light to these people's identities. These hands were initially thought to belong to thieves, robbers or impertinent children that were punished by amputation. Recent research identified them in the literature as “Leibzeichen”, body members of unknown individuals murdered in the late middle Ages that represented the dead person in court.
Material and methods
The dimensions of the metacarpal bones are used as a proxy of size differences between males and females. CT scans were used to obtain the measurements. Four different populations-specific equations from the literature were employed and a control sample of modern anatomical specimens and hospital patient's record from Germany were used to validate the equations.
Results
Six hands were classified as male (Münster, Erkeln, HWI 2641 KO, Legden, Goslar, Lunow), of which sex was confirmed with DNA for one (Lunov) and one was inconclusive (HWI 4019 KO).
Conclusion
An approximation of sex for these historical remains was possible using PMCT technology
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 14-20 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of Forensic Radiology and Imaging |
| Volume | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 10 Aug 2016 |