PERSONAL

IDENTITY
By Dr Attia Sheikh
IDENTIFICATION:
Identification means determination of
individuality of a person.
 Complete identification means the absolute
fixation of individuality of a person
 Partial identification implies ascertainment
of only some facts about the identity while
others remain still unknown.
 MEDICO LEGAL ASPECTS OF
IDENTITY
In Civil Courts, identification may be required
in cases such as insurance, pension,
inheritance claims, marriage, disputed sex
and missing bodies.
In Criminal Courts, it is essential in cases such
as persons accused of assault, rape,
homicide, etc.
IDENTIFICATION IN THE LIVING
 Dactylography
 Witness accounts
 Handwriting
 Speech
 Gait
 Photography
IDENTIFICATION OF THE DEAD
 Recently dead individual
 Dead for a certain period of time
PRIMARY CHARACTERISTICS

1. Age
2. Sex
3. Stature
SECONDARY CHARACTERISTICS

1. Features
2. Personal effects (pocket contents, clothes,
any jewelry, watches etc)
3. Hair
4. Scars
5. Tattoos
6. External peculiarities including deformities,
whether natural or due to disease
7. Occupational stigmata
8. Race, religion and nationality
COMPARATIVE DATA TECHNIQUES
FOR IDENTIFICATION
The various comparative techniques for
identification can be listed as under:
 Dental patterns and/or restorations
 Finger-, palm-, foot-prints.
 Superimposition techniques.
 Neutron activation analysis
 Anthropometry
 Other fortuitous comparisons
 Trace evidence comparisons (Locard’s
principle)
 PRIMARY CHARACTERISTICS
1. AGE
It is convenient to discuss the evidence of age
in three phases, namely:
 The fetus and the newborn infant (for cases
of infanticide)
 The children and young adults under the age
of 25 years (possible to attain accuracy of to
+/- 1 year in the first 2 decades)
 The adults over the age of 25 years (very
difficult to give accuracy of more than 5
years)
 AGE OF THE FETUS AND THE
NEWBORN INFANT
 Criminal cases related to infanticide require
accuracy of knowing whether the fetus was
viable or not
 AGE OF THE CHILDREN AND
YOUNG ADULTS UNDER 25 YEARS
Data for ascertaining age in this group
includes:
 General physical examination
 Dental examination
 Radiological examination (ossification of
bones)
 Miscellaneous particulars in the form of birth
records, school certificates etc
 DENTAL EXAMINATION
Every individual has two sets of teeth in his/her
lifetime, called temporary/deciduous/milk
teeth and permanent teeth.
Temporary teeth are 20 in number, they begin
to erupt at about sixth month after birth and
begin to shed off by the sixth year. These
deciduous teeth are replaced by permanent
teeth known as ‘successional permanent
teeth’ whereas permanent molars which have
no predecessor milk teeth are known as
‘super added teeth’.
OTHER INFORMATION FROM
TEETH
 Sex from teeth by the use of Y chromosome
in dental pulp.
 Race from teeth, in general there are large-
toothed and small-toothed races
 Occupation and habits from teeth like
cobblers, tailors or electricians usually show
notched upper incisors.
 Social status from teeth
 Teeth as victim of assault and weapon of
defense
AGE DETERMINATION IN ADULTS
OVER 25 YEARS
After the age of 25yrs, estimation of age
becomes more uncertain, whether in the living
or in the dead. Premature aging may be
produced by malnutrition, suffering and
anxiety. Grief or shock can cause premature
graying of hair. Hence a careful consideration
of all the factors must be taken to reach and
approximation under such conditions.
The changes occurring on the articular surface of
the symphysis pubis are considered a reliable
index for aging male skeletons. In females,
however, parturition has modifying effects.
 Thyroid and cricoid cartilages tend to ossify by about
45-50 years
 The greater cornu of the hyoid fuse with the body by
about 40-50 years.
 The xiphisternum and manubrium unite with the body
of the sternum respectively around 40 years and above
50 years usually.
 Lipping of bones frequently occurs around margins of
the bodies of the lumbar vertebrae around 40-50years
and atrophic changes occur in the intervertebral discs
with the diminution of joint space at about 50-60
years.
 The skull bones with advancing old age, tend to
become lighter and thinner due to absorption of
diploe, increase in inorganic constituents and hence
they become more liable to fracture even after slight
trauma.
 The long bones show extreme thinning of the
cortical layer with the corresponding
increase in size of the medullary canal with
advancing old age. In youth, the compact
cortical layer is much thicker in comparison
with the comparatively narrower medullary
canal. “Medullary index”, therefore, may
give some idea about the age of the subject.
MEDICO LEGAL IMPORTANCE OF
AGE
Medical person is called upon to give opinion on age in
following cases:
1. For identification
2. Criminal responsibility
3. Marriage contract
4. Kidnapping
5. Rape
6. Attainment of majority
7. Competency as a witness
8. Eligibility for employment
9. Judicial punishment
10. Infanticide
11. criminal abortion
 PRIMARY CHARACTERISTICS
2. SEX
Sex determination may be required in forensic
work for the following reasons:
 For the purpose of simple identification in a
living or dead person
 For deciding whether an individual can
exercise certain civil rights extended to one
sex only
 For deciding questions relating to the
legitimacy, divorce, paternity, affiliation and
also some criminal offenses.
 SEX DETERMINATION
Sex of a person can be determined from:
 Physical morphology
 Microscopic study of sex chromatin
 Gonadal biopsy
 Sex from skeletal remains
 PRIMARY CHARACTERISTICS
3. STATURE
The third primary character for the identification of
a person is the stature/height. Height increases
steadily and progressively and becomes maximum
at the age between 21 and 25 years. Later for
every 25years, it is shortened by 2.5 cm due to
thinning of intervertebral discs and some slopping
posture as a result of decreased tone of muscles.
In the dead body soon after death due to primary
relaxation of the muscles the body length may be
more by 2-2.5 cm, later as rigor mortis develops
the length may change due to secondary
relaxation.
STATURE FROM A DISMEMBERED
BODY PART
 When both side arms are stretched out in a straight
line, the distance between the tips of the two
middle fingers of the hands is approx. equal to the
stature of the person.
 Stature is approx. equal to twice the length from
vertex to symphysis pubis or equal to twice the
length from symphysis pubis to one side heel, with
the hip and knee extended and ankle dorsiflexed.
 Stature is about 3.3 times the length from the
sternal notch to the symphysis pubis.
 Stature is about 3.7 times the distance between the
tip of olecranon and tip of the middle finger of
same side
 STATURE FROM BONES
 Stature is 2.5-4 cm more than the length of
the whole skeleton
 When whole skeleton is not available but one
or the other long bones are only available
any one of the following formulae can be
used to get the stature of a person
1. Karl Pearson’s formula
2. Trotter and Glesser’s formulae
 SECONDARY CHARACTERISTICS
IN IDENTIFICATION
 Facial features/expressions
Only helpful in the living
 Personal effects

It include clothing, pocket contents, jewelry,

laundry marks, peculiar stitching/repair,
watches etc
 Hair

Examination of hair is of considerable importance

in crime investigation as it is one of the most
resistant identifying features, sometimes lasting
for years in favorable circumstances.
Having known that the material is actually hair and has come
from some human source, the following information my be
gathered from the hair.
Age, sex and race
Graying of hair can give some rough estimate on age. Sex can
be easily determined by studying sex chromatin from the
hair root cells of the scalp. Similarly, the texture and cross
section of hair can tell about the race it belongs to.
Time since death from Hair:
Hair cease to grow after death but due to shrinkage of skin,
there is an apparent growth of hair on the face. The rate of
growth of hair is about 0.4 mm per day. An approximate
idea about the time since death may be obtained from this,
only if the time of last shave is known. Decomposition
causes loosening of hair in 48-72 hours after death in
summer.

 .
 Scars
A known scar on a particular part of a person’s body
may help in identification, though multiple scars are
more convincing
 Tattoo marks

Tattoo marks are design affected by multiple small

puncture wounds made through the skin with needles
or similar penetrating tools dipped in coloring matter
(dye).
The tattoo mark could be helpful in giving clue towards
identity in the form of race, religion, nationality,
occupation, name of the person or his beloved ones,
date of birth, date of marriage etc.
The design could be of an idol, obscene figure, a flower
or even any bizarre character representing the mental
make up or desires of the individual
Tattooing at times may cause infection and
keloid formation
Drug addicts, esp. IV drug users may conceal
the site of infection by tattoo design.
They may also indicate behavioral
characteristics of the person.
 Occupational stigmata
Occupational stigmata are characteristics
which result from adaptation to work.
Distinctive occupational marks have
decreased in incidence and importance.
They may be recent and temporary and
permanent or semi permanent.
Congenital malformations such as
supernumerary or webbed fingers/toes,
hare-lip, cleft-palate, dental peculiarities,
birth marks, moles etc may also help in
identification to some extent.
Race, religion and nationality
The question of determining race may assume
importance in cases of mass disasters when
fatalities occur simultaneously in persons of
different races travelling together as in cases
of air crashes, railway disasters etc.
Race can be determined by clothing,
complexion, eye color, hair and various bony
indices.