BONE HISTOLOGY

When human remains are discovered, the first step is to identify to whom they belonged, and unfortunately this is seldom so easy as popular television suggests. Often, a biological profile needs to be constructed, which includes the victims age, sex, ethnicity, stature, and distinguishing medical features. It is very challenging to estimate the age of adult victims with current forensic methods, most of which provide a vast age range that is of little use in assisting identification.

Bone histomorphometry for adult age estimation has been practiced for decades, and while this quantitative method can achieve highly accurate results, several factors have not been considered. My doctoral research aims to incorporate individual and population dynamics into its design to improve on this technique.

Bone histomorphometric analysis requires a comprehensive understanding of regression statistics, imaging software, light microscopy, and saw mechanics. The following is a publicly available instructional video I helped develop on the use of the Leica SP1600 microtome saw. It was produced by Tomo Suru Films at the Centre for Forensic Research at SFU.