Abstract One of the most vital and useful anthropometric parameter that determine the physical identity of a human is stature or body height. Height Estimation of an individual is important not only for anthropologists and forensic medicine personnel but also for physical assessment of status of nutrition in an individual by nutritionists and physicians. Prediction of stature from incomplete and decomposing skeletal remains is one of most demanding criteria in establishing the identity of an unknown individual. It is a useful tool in medico legal and forensic examination. Study Design: Descriptive cross sectional study. Place of Study: Department of Anato
my, MGM medical college, Aurangabad. Material: 185 young and healthy college students aged between 18 to 24 years having no disease or deformity were examined anthropometrically in respect to their height and length of right and left hand. Method: After applying exclusion criteria proper selection of subjects were made. Measurement of height, hand length, hand breadth, and middle finger length of right and left side was taken with a standard anthropometer and a vernier callipers using standard reference points for measurements. Result: The present study showed there exists a significant sexual dimorphism in male and female population. Males have higher values than the females in dimensions of hand and foot. The correlation of stature and middle finger length is on the higher side (p= 0.00). In fragmented bodies, the multivariate regression formulas used to calculate the stature from the hand dimensions in both sexes gives a better prediction of stature than the univariate type.
Keywords: Anthropometric Measurement; Skeletal Remains; Height; Stature; Hand-Length; HandWidth.