Ruff-Scott-Walker 1997 Method
Definition
The principal body-mass estimation method from skeletal remains, using femoral head diameter (and, in the Auerbach-Ruff 2004 extension, bi-iliac breadth combined with stature). Published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology; SEE for the male femoral head equation is ± 7.36 kg.
- Application
- Body-mass estimation from skeletal remains
- Primary measurement
- Femoral head diameter
- 2004 extension
- Auerbach-Ruff, adds bi-iliac breadth and stature
- Published in
- American Journal of Physical Anthropology
- Male femoral head SEE
- ±7.36 kg
Common questions
Why use femoral head diameter to estimate body mass?+
The femoral head bears weight directly and its size correlates with the load the skeleton was built to carry over a lifetime, giving a more mechanically grounded estimate than stature alone, which reflects height rather than mass.
What does the standard error of estimate (SEE) mean for a reported body mass?+
The SEE, about 7.36 kg for the male femoral head equation, expresses the typical spread of error around a point estimate, so an examiner reports body mass as a range rather than a single precise figure to reflect that uncertainty.
Related terms
- Age-Related Stature Loss
- The decrease in living stature with age due to intervertebral disc compression and vertebral remodeling, approximately 0.10-0.12 cm per year after age...
- Auerbach-Ruff 2004 Method
- A body-mass estimation method using bi-iliac (maximum pelvic) breadth combined with stature, providing an alternative proxy when the femoral head is absent...
- Crural Index
- The ratio of tibia length to femur length, multiplied by 100. Varies systematically between populations: higher (relatively longer tibia) in tropical populations,...
- Femoral Head Diameter (FHD)
- The superoinferior diameter of the femoral head, measured at the widest point perpendicular to the neck axis. The primary skeletal proxy for...
- Maximum (Anatomical) Femur Length
- The bone length measured from the most superior point of the femoral head to the most inferior point of the femoral condyles...
- Mukherjee-Bandyopadhyay Equations
- Population-specific stature regression equations for Bengali Indian males and females, published in 1955 from cadaveric material at Calcutta Medical College. The male...
- Standard Error of Estimate (SEE)
- The statistical uncertainty around a regression-based stature estimate, representing the range within which approximately 68 per cent of individuals in the derivation...
- Stature Regression Equation
- A mathematical equation derived from a reference skeletal sample with known stature and long-bone measurements, used to estimate living stature from measured...
- Trotter-Gleser Equations
- The foundational US stature regression equations published by Mildred Trotter and Goldine Gleser in 1952 (from WWII casualties) and revised in 1958...