IDENTIFICATION

Dr. Fatma Elgazzar

Assis. Prof of Forensic Medicine
and Clinical Toxicology
Tanta University
 Outline

Definition
Types
Methods
Age Identification
Sex Identification
Medico-legal importance
It is the recognition of an unknown person
through certain features and characters which
differentiate him from all others.
Complete Partial
Situations
Living person

Collection of bones

Dead body
 Living person
➢ Missing persons.

➢ Age identification in certain situations:

marriage, civil rights, consent, criminal
responsibility.
▪ Cases of fire
▪ Explosion
▪ Travel
accidents
▪ Unknown dead
body found in
the field or in
Fresh dead body
water
Decomposed dead body
Mutilated dead body
 Legal Criminal
▪ Medico-legal expert ▪ Police
▪ Dead body ▪ Living

Civil
▪ Relatives, friends
Witness or the physician
▪ Living or dead
What are types of identification??
Legal
Civil
Criminal
➢ Portraite parle ‫وصف‬
➢ Anthropometry ‫قياسات‬
➢ photographs ‫صور‬
➢ Prints ‫بصمات‬
 Difficult identification
• Putrefaction
• Mutilation
• Burning
• Chemical destruction by acids
Situations???
First 2
weeks

2 W-6 M

6 M-2 Y

2y-6y

Middle age
 • Signs of growth
General • Signs of puberty
characters • Signs of senility

• Skull: fontanel &

Bones sutures
• Mandible and teeth
(x ray) • Long bones: ossific
centers& epiphysieal
First
2
week
s 2 W-6
M
6 M-2 Y

2y-6y

Middle age
Umbilical stump and skin changes
First
2
week
s 2 W-6
M
6 M-2 Y

2y-6y

Middle age
First
2
week
s 2 W-6
M
6 M-2 Y

2y-6y

Middle age
Ossific center of the head of femur appears at end
of the first year.
Milk teeth
6th month

9th month

18th month
12th month

24th month
First 2
weeks

2 W-6 M

6 M-2 Y

2y-6y

Middle age
 2) Permanent teeth
8 years
6 years 11 years
9 years
10 years
24
6 years
12 years 12 years

18-25 years
28
18-25 years

32
1 year 12 years

6 years

7 years
2 years
First 2
weeks

2 W-6 M

6 M-2 Y

2y-6y

Middle age
union of epiphysis
Union of epiphyses
1) In the upper limb:
20
a. Humerus:
33

30

15
16
17
14
b. Radius and Ulna:

16

17

20
c. Hands:

18 y
 X- rays on upper limbs?

Antero-posterior
and lateral views
on elbow joint
(lower part of AP
humerus & upper
parts of radius
and ulna), aged L
less than 14
years (if male).
 X- rays on upper limbs?

Antero-posterior
on elbow joint
(lower part of
humerus & upper
parts of radius and
ulna), aged more
than 17 years (if
male).
Postero-Anterior
view on wrist joint
and hand, aged
less than 18 years
(if male).
Postero-Anterior
view on wrist
joint and hand,
aged more than 20
years (if male).
Antero-posterior view on
left shoulder joint, aged
more than 20 years (if
male).
 17limb:
2) In the lower

18 16

21
Union of epiphyses:
3) Pelvis

23

14 - 15
21
6
HIP bones of child aged less than 6
years
Antero-posterior
view on hip joint
of child aged less
than 6 years.
Antero-posterior
view on hip joint
aged more than 6
years and less than 15
years (if male).
Female hip
bone aged
more than
21 years.
Antero-
posterior view
on femur, knee
joint aged less
than 21 years
(if male).
Antero-posterior
and lateral view
on knee joint
aged more than
21 years (if male).
Antero-
posterior view
on knee and
ankle joints
aged less than 18
years (if male).
Antero-posterior
view on ankle
joint aged less
than 18 years (if
male).
Skull examination
 ➢ SKULL

Fontaneles: posterior fontanel closes at birth

but anterior one close at 18 monthes

Vault and skull aged less than 18 M

because membranous closure of
anterior fontanelle
Skull.
 Base of skull

23 years
 Mandible at birth

Mandible at old age Mandible at middle age

 ➢ Sternum:

Manubrium united
with the body at
60 years

Xiphoid process
united with the
body at 40 years
 Union of epiphyses:

18 23 40
• In a big fire of a house, a group was
affected: a guard (50 years), family
formed of a father (40 years), a
mother ( 30 years), a boy (10 years)
and a girl (7 years). All died and their
body were charred and disfigured.

- How can you identify the victims?

 A woman about 19 years old put an end
to her marital life by setting fire to her
apartment after pouring kerosene. She
met her death immediately, while her
husband (21 years) got multiple burns.
He was transferred to the hospital
where he died on the fifth day.

How to verify the ages of both the woman and

husband?
Ages of medico-legal importance (MLI) In the
Egyptian law
6 years
age of compulsory education
7 years
age of discrimination
11 years
retention of male child
13 years
retention of female child
14 years
below it a boy is considered incapable of
committing rape
15 years:
Below this age …juvenile courts

16 years:
ID card
Motor cycle driving license

18 years:
Marriage in males and females
Car driving license
First call for military service
Voting in election

21 years:
Consent for examination
Complete civil rights

30 years : national assembly

60 years: retirement
 Outline

Definition
Types
Methods
Age Identification
Sex Identification
Medico-legal importance
 Intersex state

These are conditions in which

male and female characters
(e.g. gonads, physical form
and sexual behavior) coexist in
varying proportions in the
same individual
 Intersex state

❑ Gonadal agenesis

❑ Gonad dysgenesis

❑ Hermaphrodite
 Hermaphrodite

pseudo True

Male Female
 Gonads??
External genitalia??
External features??
 Determination of sex in living persons
- Civil law: marriage and inheritance of a case of intersex.

- Criminal law: exchange of babies in hospitals, sexual

perversions, in criminals who conceal their sex.
I. Clinical examination:

➢Presumptive data.
➢Highly presumptive data
➢ Certain data:
II. Investigations
Sex chromatin test
 Outline

Definition
Types
Methods
Age Identification
Sex Identification
Medico-legal importance
 Dactylography
• A finger print means an impression made by
the ball of the finger

• It is based on the principles that the skin of

the balls of the fingers and thumb is covered
with papillary ridges on which pores of the
sweat glands open in certain characters
• Develop at the 16th weeks intrauterine and
remain constant for life

• It is present in both epidermis and dermis

✓
 Importance??
• Absolutely individual

• The most accurate and reliable method of

personal identification.
MLI of teeth
 MLI of teeth
▪ Age estimation??

▪ Personal identification

▪ Assailant identification

▪ Diagnosis of poisoning
Human bite
Animal bite
 conclusion

Definition
Types
Methods
Age Identification
Sex Identification
Medico-legal importance