Estimation of Height Using Length of Humerus in Adult North Indian Population-An Anthropometric Study

Estimation of stature from bone has always played an important role in identifying unknown bodies, part of bodies or skeletal remains. Height of individual is also vital to medico legal investigations. Thus in forensic anthropology, projection of the stature from bones play an important role in the identification of missing persons. Estimation of liv- ing stature can be done from the humeral length in the absence of more appropriate long bones as femur or tibia. The assessment of height is obtained from Regression formula derived from femoral and tibial length but sometime humerus may be the only bone found in burial. After studying literature it was found that though lot of work has been done on humerus, but very scanty work was been reported on anthropometric measurement of humerus, hence the aim was to focus on measurement of humerus in living subject and estimation of individual's height by correlating length of humerus with the height of individual, in living subjects using "REGRESSION FORMULA FOR HUMERUS". The present study could be a boon when instead of dry skeletal remain an entire soft tissue fragment with the muscles intact on the bone is found. It would be a great time saving method for anthropologist, forensic etc to determine the height of the individual from the existing specimen without processing it further in order to extract the dry bone from it. The Humerus being the longest and largest bone in the upper limb is a vertically located bone in the arm. The rounded head occupies the proximal and medial part of the upper end of the bone and forms an enarthrodial articulation with the glenoid cavity of scapula. Proximal end of humerus consist of Head, Ana- tomical neck, Greater tubercle, lesser tubercle. Head of humerus forms less than half of spheroid its smooth articular surface is covered by hyaline cartilage which is thicker centrally. Anatomi- cal neck of humerus immediately adjoins the margins of the head and forms a slight constriction. Lesser tubercle is anterior to and just beyond the anatomical neck. The shaft of humerus is almost cylindrical in proximal half but is triangular in cross section in distal half. The distal end of humerus is a modified condyle. It is wider transversally and has articular and non ar- ticular part. The articular part is curve forward, articulates with radius and ulna at elbow joint and is divided by a faint groove into a lateral capitulum, and trochlea. Capitulum is a rounded convex projection which covers the an- terior and inferior surface of lateral part of condyle of the hu- merus but does not extend on posterior surface. Trochlea is a pulley shape surface that covers anterior, inferior, and posterior