Comprehensive and engaging, Byers’s Introduction to Forensic Anthropology, 4e uses thoughtful pedagogy to lead students step-by-step through the most current and detailed forensic anthropology material available today.
This one-of-a-kind text offers comprehensive coverage of all of the major topics in the field of forensics with accuracy, intensity, and clarity. Extensive illustrations and photos ensure that the text is accessible for students.
As one reviewer says, “there is no other source available that is so comprehensive in its coverage of the methods and issues in the current practice of forensic anthropology.”
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1. Introduction.
Historical Background.
Forensic Anthropologists and the Medicolegal Community.
The Forensic Anthropology Protocol and
Methods in Forensic Anthropology.
2. Basics of Human Osteology and Odontology.
Overview of the Human Skeleton.
Basic Topics in Osteology.
Overview of the Human Dentition.
3. Establishing the Forensic Context.
Bone versus Non-Bone.
Human versus Non-Human.
Contemporary versus Non-Contemporary.
4. Recovery Scene Methods.
Preliminary Issues.
Locating Remains.
Mapping Remains.
Grave Excavation.
Collecting Remains.
Mass Disasters.
DMORT.
5. Estimating Time Since Death.
Overview of Decomposition.
Decomposition and Skeletonization.
Animal Scavenging.
Other Methods.
6. Initial Treatment and Examination.
Forensic Anthropology Laboratory.
Preparation of Remains.
Reconstruction, Sorting, and Re-Assembly.
Inventorying Remains.
7. Attribution of Ancestry.
Anthroposcopic Traits.
Metrical Methods.
Miscellaneous Ancestral Characteristics.
8. Attribution of Sex.
Sexing the Pelvis.
Sexing the Skull.
Miscellaneous Methods.
Sexing Subadults.
9. Estimation of Age at Death.
Subadults.
Adults.
10. Calculation of Stature.
Basics of Stature Reconstruction.
Full Skeleton Methods.
Long Limb Bones.
Other Skeletal Elements.
Partial Long Limb Bones.
Adjustments to Stature.
11. Death, Trauma, and the Skeleton.
Cause and Manner of Death.
Basics of Bone Trauma.
Characteristics of Forces Causing Trauma.
Types of Trauma.
Timing of Bone Injury.
12. Projectile Trauma.
Basics of Ammunition and Firearms.
Effects of Bullets on Bone.
Bullet Wound Analysis.
Pellet Wound Analysis.
Miscellaneous Projectiles.
Cause and Manner of Death.
13. Blunt Trauma.
Characteristics of Instruments.
Types of Fractures.
Effects of Blunt Instruments.
Wound Analysis.
Cause and Manner of Death.
14. Sharp and Miscellaneous Trauma.
Sharp Trauma.
Strangulation.
Chemical Trauma.
Cause and Manner of Death.
15. Antemortem Skeletal Conditions.
Pathological Conditions.
Skeletal Anomalies.
Occupational Stress Markers.
16. Postmortem Changes to Bone.
Dismemberments.
Animal Scavenging.
Fire Damage.
Weathering.
Burial Damage.
Water Transport Damage.
Miscellaneous.
17. Additional Aspects of Individualization.
Facial Reproduction.
Assessing Handedness.
Estimating Body Weight.
18. Identification Using Antemortem Records.
Radiography.
Photographic Superimposition.
Forensic Odontology.
Miscellaneous.
19. Conclusion.
Ethical Responsibilities.
The Final Report.
Courtroom Testimony.
Future of Forensic Anthropology.
Short Retail Description
New To The 4th Edition:
Greater discussion on legislation and court decisions affecting forensic anthropology (Chapter 1)
Increased emphasis on quantification of error rates of both old and new methods
Addition of logistic discriminant functions for sexing skulls based on visual traits (Chapter 8)
Revised stature reconstruction formulas based on data in the Forensic Database (Chapter 10)
Inclusion of stature reconstruction formulas for fleshed body parts (Chapter 10)
Re-organization of Chapter 18 around positive, probable, andother methods of identification
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Hallmark Features:
Covers all major subjects of forensic anthropology with equal intensity, providing students with an excellent overview of the subject.
Contains a detailed coverage of trauma analysis, in which readers are led through the analytic process in a logical and sequential manner (Chs. 11-14).
Numerous boxes and illustrations allow students to understand how forensic methods and techniques are used by professional forensic anthropologists.
Pedagogical summaries and exercises at the end of each chapter test the student's knowledge and mastery of the subject matter.
Steve Byers received his B.A. and M.A. from Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, CO. His Master’s Thesis, entitled “A reconstruction of the skull of Gigantopithecus blacki”, formed the basis for YFX Studio's full reconstruction of Gigantopithecus on display at the San Diego Museum of Man. His first teaching job was at the University of Southern Colorado (now call Colorado State Universiy, Pueblo) where he taught Anthropology for two and a half years. From there, he worked as a social and psychological researcher until he decided that his true love was Anthropology. He enrolled at the University of New Mexico (UNM) in Albuquerque, NM, where he studied skeletal biology and bioarchaeology.
Since graduating in 1992, he has taught part-time at the various campuses of UNM as well as Santa Fe Community College. When given the opportunity to teach a forensic anthropology class at UNM in 1998, he realized that the field lacked a comprehensive textbook. Since no one appeared to be writing one, he decided to take on the project. The first edition of his textbook, published by Allyn and Bacon (since subsumed under Prentice Hall), appeared in 2002, and has been put into new editions three times. The book received a very favorable review in the Journal of Forensic Sciences, as well as several regional anthropology associations.