Perimortem vs Postmortem Modification
Definition
Perimortem modifications occur around the time of death, when bone still retains its biochemical properties (green bone). They include fracture patterns characteristic of impact. Postmortem modifications occur after the bone has dried or altered, and include dry-bone fractures, root etching, and bleaching. Distinguishing the two is central to trauma interpretation.
Related terms
- ABFA (American Board of Forensic Anthropology)
- The US certifying body for forensic anthropologists, established in 1977. Diplomate status requires examination, case documentation, and peer review, and is routinely...
- Biological Profile
- The four-part osteological description of an unidentified individual: sex, age range, population affinity (ancestry), and estimated stature. The profile constrains the pool...
- Commingled Remains
- Skeletal material from more than one individual mixed together, as commonly recovered from mass graves, transportation disasters, or fire scenes. Sorting commingled...
- Daubert Standard
- The US federal evidentiary standard (Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, 1993) requiring that expert testimony be based on scientifically valid methods with...
- EAAF (Equipo Argentino De Antropologia Forense)
- The Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team, founded in Buenos Aires in 1984 by Clyde Snow and a group of Argentine student scientists including...
- ENFSI FAWG (Forensic Anthropology Working Group)
- The European Network of Forensic Science Institutes' Forensic Anthropology Working Group, which coordinates standards and best practice across European national forensic anthropology...
- OSAC (Organization of Scientific Area Committees)
- NIST's umbrella body for forensic science standards, which includes an Anthropology Subcommittee responsible for developing formal documentary standards for forensic anthropology in...
- SWGANTH
- Scientific Working Group for Forensic Anthropology. A US expert panel that produced guidance documents (2008-2013) on standards for forensic anthropological practice, now...
- Taphonomy
- The systematic modification of bone by environmental processes after death, operating over the burial or exposure interval. Includes weathering, soil staining, sun...
Explained in
- Introduction and Scope of Forensic AnthropologyPerimortem modifications occur around the time of death, when bone still retains its biochemical properties (green bone). They include fracture patterns charac...