Legal Medicine
LEGAL MEDICINE
Identification of Persons
Importance
1. For the living
a. amnesia, coma, infants and other mental defects
b. cases of paternity and filiations for purposes of inheritance, support and parental authority
c. cases involving personal crime: rape, murder, physical injuries (for the culprit)
2. For the dead
a. for proper administration of justice particularly in suspicious death occurrences
b. Murder, homicide or other crimes for identification for prosecution
c. Mass disasters: earthquake, mass killings, airplane crash, sinking ship, fire. For identification of bodies for purposes of retrieval and payment of compensation
d. Settlement of inheritance, insurance, retirement benefits, immigration etc. (living and the dead)
Modes / Methods for Identification
1. Bertillion Identification – introduced by Alfonso Bertillion during the 2nd half of the 18th century
- Anthropometry
- done by measuring the skull, facial and body features
- uses portraits by describing a person’s facial characteristics
- Sketches or drawings
- “identikit” improved by Jack Penny which he called “Photofit” using actual pictures.
* 100 forms of facial parts presented then choose/group it to have a face
2. Morthopological Identification – Identifying the physical structure of the face and the whole body.
- Face structure is identified
- a. height, weight and general structure of the individual
b. warts, nose and other shapes structure that will differentiate a person from the others.
c. external genitallias (sex)
* Identifying mutilated bodies
- Lower limbs multiply by 2 from the vertex
Identification of Persons
Importance
1. For the living
a. amnesia, coma, infants and other mental defects
b. cases of paternity and filiations for purposes of inheritance, support and parental authority
c. cases involving personal crime: rape, murder, physical injuries (for the culprit)
2. For the dead
a. for proper administration of justice particularly in suspicious death occurrences
b. Murder, homicide or other crimes for identification for prosecution
c. Mass disasters: earthquake, mass killings, airplane crash, sinking ship, fire. For identification of bodies for purposes of retrieval and payment of compensation
d. Settlement of inheritance, insurance, retirement benefits, immigration etc. (living and the dead)
Modes / Methods for Identification
1. Bertillion Identification – introduced by Alfonso Bertillion during the 2nd half of the 18th century
- Anthropometry
- done by measuring the skull, facial and body features
- uses portraits by describing a person’s facial characteristics
- Sketches or drawings
- “identikit” improved by Jack Penny which he called “Photofit” using actual pictures.
* 100 forms of facial parts presented then choose/group it to have a face
2. Morthopological Identification – Identifying the physical structure of the face and the whole body.
- Face structure is identified
- a. height, weight and general structure of the individual
b. warts, nose and other shapes structure that will differentiate a person from the others.
c. external genitallias (sex)
* Identifying mutilated bodies
- Lower limbs multiply by 2 from the vertex