The study of human remains from the first and the second World War is important for enhancing our... more The study of human remains from the first and the second World War is important for enhancing our understanding of that historical period. Despite the fact that the period has been well-documented previously, gaps remain, particularly as a result of the destruction of archives. In fact, for just WWI, more than 700,000 soldiers from both sides remain missing. Scientific and political collaborations established in hopes of recovering and identifying soldiers will allow many families understand "what happened" to their loved ones and facilitate the return of the soldiers their homes. In this paper, the recovery of the human remains of French soldiers WWI and WWII will be described through the lens of the legislation in place governing the retrieval and identification of the remains, protocols established for recovery, excavation and analysis, and the dissemination data. These features will be illustrated using three case studies that involve French soldiers who died during WWI. Research of this type is the result of true interdisciplinary and sometimes international, depending on the context, collaboration. The public and academic the dissemination of these archaeological discoveries, both to academics and the public, is crucial and a type of remembrance.
After causing mass disasters that claimed the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers from countri... more After causing mass disasters that claimed the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers from countries around the world, the two Great Wars left some of them lost and missing. In France, these corpses reside in a legal vagueness where they belong neither to forensic anthropology nor archeology. Nevertheless, the process of identification and determining the cause of death requires the use of modern forensic anthropology by applying biological profiling and DNA analysis. New genomic methods also provide insight into the health statuses of these military populations, providing new perspectives on these periods of humanitarian crisis.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Non-metric variations have been the subject of anatomical and anthropological studies for more th... more Non-metric variations have been the subject of anatomical and anthropological studies for more than a century. In this study, we present an individual from Sion (Canton of Valais, Southern Switzerland) dated from the Middle Neolithic who shows evidence for four non-metric variations. This young adult male presents an os acromiale, spondylolysis, a bipartite patella and bilateral calcaneus secundarius. These non-metric variations have a low frequency in most populations (less than 10%) and for each of them the origin is usually considered to be genetic, environmental, or a combination of both. This case is of interest for understanding the potential genetic origin of these non-metric variations as well as for demonstrating their usefulness in bioarcheological analysis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Clostridium tertium was detected by FISH in two dental pulp specimens taken from a 1914 soldier. ... more Clostridium tertium was detected by FISH in two dental pulp specimens taken from a 1914 soldier. After a two-day incubation period, both dental pulp samples grew colonies identified by mass spectrometry and genome sequencing as C. tertium; whereas negative controls remained free of C. tertium in all the observations, and no C. tertium was founded in sediments. Skeletal remains of this soldier exhibited two notches in the left tibia evocative of a cold steel wound, and a probably fatal unhealed bullet impact in the hip bone.
The study of human remains from the first and the second World War is important for enhancing our... more The study of human remains from the first and the second World War is important for enhancing our understanding of that historical period. Despite the fact that the period has been well-documented previously, gaps remain, particularly as a result of the destruction of archives. In fact, for just WWI, more than 700,000 soldiers from both sides remain missing. Scientific and political collaborations established in hopes of recovering and identifying soldiers will allow many families understand “what happened” to their loved ones and facilitate the return of the soldiers their homes. In this paper, the recovery of the human remains of French soldiers WWI and WWII will be described through the lens of the legislation in place governing the retrieval and identification of the remains, protocols established for recovery, excavation and analysis, and the dissemination data. These features will be illustrated using three case studies that involve French soldiers who died during WWI. Research of this type is the result of true interdisciplinary and sometimes international, depending on the context, collaboration. The public and academic the dissemination of these archaeological discoveries, both to academics and the public, is crucial and a type of remembrance.
Lors d'une expertise, la détermination du profil biologique est réalisée : âge, sexe et stature. ... more Lors d'une expertise, la détermination du profil biologique est réalisée : âge, sexe et stature. Plusieurs individus peuvent partager un même profil. L'utilisation des caractères discrets pourrait permettre de compléter le profil afin d'avancer vers une identification positive. Cette méthode se baserait sur la comparaison ante et post-mortem de radiographies. Les caractères discrets sont des éléments anatomiques non constants répartis sur l'ensemble du squelette humain et asymptomatiques pour la plupart d'entre eux. Dans cette étude, nous présentons l'intérêt de 12 caractères discrets en identification positive : la suture métopique complète, le foramina parietalia permagna, la spina bifida occulta du sacrum, la fente et le foramen sternal, les côtes bifides/cervicales/lombaires, l'apophyse sus-épitrochléenne, le troisième trochanter, le défaut dorsal de la patella et la patella bipartite. Toutes ces variations anatomiques ont une fréquence inférieure à 10 % et sont facilement observables en radiologie. Leur fréquence peut varier en fonction des populations, du sexe, de l'âge et du côté. Il est utile de les connaître afin de ne pas les confondre avec des signes pathologiques. En perspective, l'ensemble des caractères discrets pouvant être utilisé en identification médicolégale pourra être décrit. # 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. Tous droits réservés.
ABSTRACT Les travaux de synthèse sur les caractères discrets post-crâniens sont assez rares dans ... more ABSTRACT Les travaux de synthèse sur les caractères discrets post-crâniens sont assez rares dans la littérature et se concentrent plus particulièrement sur le membre supérieur. À partir de ce constat, il semble intéressant de regrouper toutes les connaissances actuelles cette fois-ci sur le membre inférieur, et notamment en ce qui concerne la distinction entre caractères discrets et marqueurs d’activité (ou de posture). Ce travail consiste donc en une description détaillée (localisation, fréquence, liaison en fonction du sexe et/ou de l’âge, étiologie) de tous les caractères discrets et marqueurs de posture du membre inférieur connus à ce jour, faisant un total de vingt caractères. Ces derniers sont répartis de manière inégale, la plupart se situe sur le fémur, la patella et le tibia. Au final, cette synthèse permet d’avoir une vision générale des caractères du membre inférieur qui pourront être utilisés à la fois en contexte funéraire avec l’étude des regroupements familiaux et en contexte médico-légal pour aider à l’identification d’un individu.
ABSTRACT Les vertèbres dites en papillon (sagittal cleft vertebrae) sont consécutives à un défaut... more ABSTRACT Les vertèbres dites en papillon (sagittal cleft vertebrae) sont consécutives à un défaut de fusion du corps vertébral plus ou moins étendu. Cette anomalie du développement (diastématomyélie de type 1 ou rachischisis antérieur), qui implique généralement une seule vertèbre, peut induire une division complète du corps vertébral en deux hémivertèbres de forme triangulaire. Une revue de la littérature fait apparaitre que cette anomalie est encore assez peu décrite en paléopathologie. Notre étude contribue à la connaissance de cette malformation rachidienne dans les populations du passé, par la présentation de sept cas inédits provenant de contextes funéraires de chronologie et d’origine géographique variées. L’un d’entre eux représenterait le premier cas paléopathologique égyptien de vertèbre en papillon. L’étude illustre la grande diversité d’expression des vertèbres en papillon en contexte ostéoarchéologique, notamment dans leur forme la plus bénigne, asymptomatique et sans complication associée. Ce travail livre de nouveaux témoignages d’une pathologie qui, en raison de son origine congénitale, peut être autant un élément de description individuelle qu’un outil d’identification des éventuels liens d’apparentement. --- Sagittal cleft (or “butterfly”) vertebra is a more or less extensive developmental anomaly in the fusion of the vertebra. Also known as diastematomyeiia or anterior rachischisis, this anomaly usually involves a single vertebra, which can become segmented into two separate triangular shapes resembling the wings of a butterfly. We found that this sagittal cleft is rarely described in palaeopathology literature. This paper presents a study of 7 original cases from different chronological and geographical burial contexts, one of which could be the first palaeopathological evidence of this condition in ancient Egypt. Our study shows the wide range of morphological variability in osteo-archaeological expressions of this anomaly, from minor asymptomatic clefts with no associated complications to complete segmentation associated with compensatory changes in adjacent vertebrae. It thus contributes new knowledge on this spinal malformation in ancient populations, providing new illustrations of a pathological condition which, due to its congenital origin, can serve not only as a descriptor of individuals but also as a means of identifying potential kinships.
During forensic anthropological investigation, biological profile is determined by age, sex, ance... more During forensic anthropological investigation, biological profile is determined by age, sex, ancestry, and stature. However, several individuals may share the same profile. Observation of discrete traits can yield useful information and contribute to identification. This research establishes the frequency of discrete traits of the sternum and ribs in a modern population in southern France, using 500 computer tomography (CT) scans of individuals aged 15-60 years. Only discrete traits with a frequency lower than 10% according to the literature were considered, a total of eight traits. All scans examined were three-dimensional (3D) volume renderings from DICOM images. In our population, the frequency of all the discrete traits was lower than 5%. None were associated with sex or age, with the exception of a single trait, the end of the xiphoid process. Our findings can usefully be applied for identification purposes in forensic anthropology and medicine.
In forensic anthropology, identification begins by determining the sex, age, ancestry and stature... more In forensic anthropology, identification begins by determining the sex, age, ancestry and stature of the individuals. Asymptomatic variations present on the skeleton, known as discrete traits, can be useful to identify individuals, or at least contribute to complete their biological profile. We decided to focus our work on the upper part of the skeleton, from the first vertebra to the pelvic girdle, and we chose to present 8 discrete traits (spina bifida occulta, butterfly vertebra, supraclavicular nerve foramen, coracoclavicular joint, os acromiale, suprascapular foramen, manubrium foramen and pubic spine), because they show a frequency lower than 10%. We examined 502 anonymous CT scans from polytraumatized individuals, aged 15 to 65 years, in order to detect the selected discrete traits. Age and sex were known for each subject. Thin sections in the axial, coronal and sagittal planes and 3D volume rendering images were created and examined for the visualization of the selected discrete traits. Supraclavicular foramina were found only in males and only on the left clavicle. Coracoclavicular joints were observed only in males. The majority of individuals with a suprascapular foramen were older than 50 years of age. Pubic spines were observed mostly in females. Other traits did not present significant association with sex, age and laterality. No association between traits was highlighted. Better knowledge of human skeletal variations will help anthropologists come closer to a positive identification, especially if these variations are rare, therefore making them more discriminant.
The study of human remains from the first and the second World War is important for enhancing our... more The study of human remains from the first and the second World War is important for enhancing our understanding of that historical period. Despite the fact that the period has been well-documented previously, gaps remain, particularly as a result of the destruction of archives. In fact, for just WWI, more than 700,000 soldiers from both sides remain missing. Scientific and political collaborations established in hopes of recovering and identifying soldiers will allow many families understand "what happened" to their loved ones and facilitate the return of the soldiers their homes. In this paper, the recovery of the human remains of French soldiers WWI and WWII will be described through the lens of the legislation in place governing the retrieval and identification of the remains, protocols established for recovery, excavation and analysis, and the dissemination data. These features will be illustrated using three case studies that involve French soldiers who died during WWI. Research of this type is the result of true interdisciplinary and sometimes international, depending on the context, collaboration. The public and academic the dissemination of these archaeological discoveries, both to academics and the public, is crucial and a type of remembrance.
After causing mass disasters that claimed the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers from countri... more After causing mass disasters that claimed the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers from countries around the world, the two Great Wars left some of them lost and missing. In France, these corpses reside in a legal vagueness where they belong neither to forensic anthropology nor archeology. Nevertheless, the process of identification and determining the cause of death requires the use of modern forensic anthropology by applying biological profiling and DNA analysis. New genomic methods also provide insight into the health statuses of these military populations, providing new perspectives on these periods of humanitarian crisis.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Non-metric variations have been the subject of anatomical and anthropological studies for more th... more Non-metric variations have been the subject of anatomical and anthropological studies for more than a century. In this study, we present an individual from Sion (Canton of Valais, Southern Switzerland) dated from the Middle Neolithic who shows evidence for four non-metric variations. This young adult male presents an os acromiale, spondylolysis, a bipartite patella and bilateral calcaneus secundarius. These non-metric variations have a low frequency in most populations (less than 10%) and for each of them the origin is usually considered to be genetic, environmental, or a combination of both. This case is of interest for understanding the potential genetic origin of these non-metric variations as well as for demonstrating their usefulness in bioarcheological analysis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Clostridium tertium was detected by FISH in two dental pulp specimens taken from a 1914 soldier. ... more Clostridium tertium was detected by FISH in two dental pulp specimens taken from a 1914 soldier. After a two-day incubation period, both dental pulp samples grew colonies identified by mass spectrometry and genome sequencing as C. tertium; whereas negative controls remained free of C. tertium in all the observations, and no C. tertium was founded in sediments. Skeletal remains of this soldier exhibited two notches in the left tibia evocative of a cold steel wound, and a probably fatal unhealed bullet impact in the hip bone.
The study of human remains from the first and the second World War is important for enhancing our... more The study of human remains from the first and the second World War is important for enhancing our understanding of that historical period. Despite the fact that the period has been well-documented previously, gaps remain, particularly as a result of the destruction of archives. In fact, for just WWI, more than 700,000 soldiers from both sides remain missing. Scientific and political collaborations established in hopes of recovering and identifying soldiers will allow many families understand “what happened” to their loved ones and facilitate the return of the soldiers their homes. In this paper, the recovery of the human remains of French soldiers WWI and WWII will be described through the lens of the legislation in place governing the retrieval and identification of the remains, protocols established for recovery, excavation and analysis, and the dissemination data. These features will be illustrated using three case studies that involve French soldiers who died during WWI. Research of this type is the result of true interdisciplinary and sometimes international, depending on the context, collaboration. The public and academic the dissemination of these archaeological discoveries, both to academics and the public, is crucial and a type of remembrance.
Lors d'une expertise, la détermination du profil biologique est réalisée : âge, sexe et stature. ... more Lors d'une expertise, la détermination du profil biologique est réalisée : âge, sexe et stature. Plusieurs individus peuvent partager un même profil. L'utilisation des caractères discrets pourrait permettre de compléter le profil afin d'avancer vers une identification positive. Cette méthode se baserait sur la comparaison ante et post-mortem de radiographies. Les caractères discrets sont des éléments anatomiques non constants répartis sur l'ensemble du squelette humain et asymptomatiques pour la plupart d'entre eux. Dans cette étude, nous présentons l'intérêt de 12 caractères discrets en identification positive : la suture métopique complète, le foramina parietalia permagna, la spina bifida occulta du sacrum, la fente et le foramen sternal, les côtes bifides/cervicales/lombaires, l'apophyse sus-épitrochléenne, le troisième trochanter, le défaut dorsal de la patella et la patella bipartite. Toutes ces variations anatomiques ont une fréquence inférieure à 10 % et sont facilement observables en radiologie. Leur fréquence peut varier en fonction des populations, du sexe, de l'âge et du côté. Il est utile de les connaître afin de ne pas les confondre avec des signes pathologiques. En perspective, l'ensemble des caractères discrets pouvant être utilisé en identification médicolégale pourra être décrit. # 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. Tous droits réservés.
ABSTRACT Les travaux de synthèse sur les caractères discrets post-crâniens sont assez rares dans ... more ABSTRACT Les travaux de synthèse sur les caractères discrets post-crâniens sont assez rares dans la littérature et se concentrent plus particulièrement sur le membre supérieur. À partir de ce constat, il semble intéressant de regrouper toutes les connaissances actuelles cette fois-ci sur le membre inférieur, et notamment en ce qui concerne la distinction entre caractères discrets et marqueurs d’activité (ou de posture). Ce travail consiste donc en une description détaillée (localisation, fréquence, liaison en fonction du sexe et/ou de l’âge, étiologie) de tous les caractères discrets et marqueurs de posture du membre inférieur connus à ce jour, faisant un total de vingt caractères. Ces derniers sont répartis de manière inégale, la plupart se situe sur le fémur, la patella et le tibia. Au final, cette synthèse permet d’avoir une vision générale des caractères du membre inférieur qui pourront être utilisés à la fois en contexte funéraire avec l’étude des regroupements familiaux et en contexte médico-légal pour aider à l’identification d’un individu.
ABSTRACT Les vertèbres dites en papillon (sagittal cleft vertebrae) sont consécutives à un défaut... more ABSTRACT Les vertèbres dites en papillon (sagittal cleft vertebrae) sont consécutives à un défaut de fusion du corps vertébral plus ou moins étendu. Cette anomalie du développement (diastématomyélie de type 1 ou rachischisis antérieur), qui implique généralement une seule vertèbre, peut induire une division complète du corps vertébral en deux hémivertèbres de forme triangulaire. Une revue de la littérature fait apparaitre que cette anomalie est encore assez peu décrite en paléopathologie. Notre étude contribue à la connaissance de cette malformation rachidienne dans les populations du passé, par la présentation de sept cas inédits provenant de contextes funéraires de chronologie et d’origine géographique variées. L’un d’entre eux représenterait le premier cas paléopathologique égyptien de vertèbre en papillon. L’étude illustre la grande diversité d’expression des vertèbres en papillon en contexte ostéoarchéologique, notamment dans leur forme la plus bénigne, asymptomatique et sans complication associée. Ce travail livre de nouveaux témoignages d’une pathologie qui, en raison de son origine congénitale, peut être autant un élément de description individuelle qu’un outil d’identification des éventuels liens d’apparentement. --- Sagittal cleft (or “butterfly”) vertebra is a more or less extensive developmental anomaly in the fusion of the vertebra. Also known as diastematomyeiia or anterior rachischisis, this anomaly usually involves a single vertebra, which can become segmented into two separate triangular shapes resembling the wings of a butterfly. We found that this sagittal cleft is rarely described in palaeopathology literature. This paper presents a study of 7 original cases from different chronological and geographical burial contexts, one of which could be the first palaeopathological evidence of this condition in ancient Egypt. Our study shows the wide range of morphological variability in osteo-archaeological expressions of this anomaly, from minor asymptomatic clefts with no associated complications to complete segmentation associated with compensatory changes in adjacent vertebrae. It thus contributes new knowledge on this spinal malformation in ancient populations, providing new illustrations of a pathological condition which, due to its congenital origin, can serve not only as a descriptor of individuals but also as a means of identifying potential kinships.
During forensic anthropological investigation, biological profile is determined by age, sex, ance... more During forensic anthropological investigation, biological profile is determined by age, sex, ancestry, and stature. However, several individuals may share the same profile. Observation of discrete traits can yield useful information and contribute to identification. This research establishes the frequency of discrete traits of the sternum and ribs in a modern population in southern France, using 500 computer tomography (CT) scans of individuals aged 15-60 years. Only discrete traits with a frequency lower than 10% according to the literature were considered, a total of eight traits. All scans examined were three-dimensional (3D) volume renderings from DICOM images. In our population, the frequency of all the discrete traits was lower than 5%. None were associated with sex or age, with the exception of a single trait, the end of the xiphoid process. Our findings can usefully be applied for identification purposes in forensic anthropology and medicine.
In forensic anthropology, identification begins by determining the sex, age, ancestry and stature... more In forensic anthropology, identification begins by determining the sex, age, ancestry and stature of the individuals. Asymptomatic variations present on the skeleton, known as discrete traits, can be useful to identify individuals, or at least contribute to complete their biological profile. We decided to focus our work on the upper part of the skeleton, from the first vertebra to the pelvic girdle, and we chose to present 8 discrete traits (spina bifida occulta, butterfly vertebra, supraclavicular nerve foramen, coracoclavicular joint, os acromiale, suprascapular foramen, manubrium foramen and pubic spine), because they show a frequency lower than 10%. We examined 502 anonymous CT scans from polytraumatized individuals, aged 15 to 65 years, in order to detect the selected discrete traits. Age and sex were known for each subject. Thin sections in the axial, coronal and sagittal planes and 3D volume rendering images were created and examined for the visualization of the selected discrete traits. Supraclavicular foramina were found only in males and only on the left clavicle. Coracoclavicular joints were observed only in males. The majority of individuals with a suprascapular foramen were older than 50 years of age. Pubic spines were observed mostly in females. Other traits did not present significant association with sex, age and laterality. No association between traits was highlighted. Better knowledge of human skeletal variations will help anthropologists come closer to a positive identification, especially if these variations are rare, therefore making them more discriminant.
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