Are Microscopic Ageing Techniques more accurate than Macroscopic Ageing Techniques?

Abstract

The purpose of this analysis is to test the accuracy of microscopically and macroscopically derived ages on an excavated sample of human skeletons of known age at death from Christ Church, Spitalfields, London (18th and 19th century). Microscopic ages were derived on the basis of histology of the cross-section of the femur using techniques proposed by Kerley ( American Journal of Physical Anthropology 23, 149-164, 1965; Kerley & Ubelaker, American Journal of Physical Anthropology 49, 545-546, 1978) and by Samson & Branigan (in A. Boddington, A. N. Garland & R. C. Janaway, Eds, Death, Decay and Reconstruction Approaches to Archaeology and Forensic Science, Manchester University Press, pp. 101-108, 1987). Macroscopic ages were determined on the basis of pubic symphysis morphology using the methods proposed by McKern, Stewart & Gilbert (McKern & Stewart, Technical Report EP-45, Massachusetts Quartermaster Research and Development Command, Natick, MA, U.S.A., 1957; Gilbert & McKern, American Journal of Physical Anthropology 38, 31-38, 1973), by Todd ( American Journal of Physical Anthropology 3, 285-334, 1920; 4, 1-70, 1921) and Brooks ( American Journal of Physical Anthropology 13, 567-597, 1955) and by Acsádi & Nemeskéri ( History of Human Life Span and Mortality, Budapest: Akademiai Kiado, 1970). Results show that the Kerley technique is the most accurate microscopic age estimator for the Spitalfields sample, however it is not appreciably more accurate than the Acsádi and Nemeskéri pubic symphysis technique. The analyses also demonstrate that the three techniques for determining age from pubic symphysis morphology are each at least partially dependent on the age structure of the population upon which they were developed. The Todd/Brooks and McKern/Stewart/Gilbert techniques that were developed on populations with a young mean age are most accurate in the younger ages ranges, while the Acsádi & Nemeskéri technique which was developed on a population of older mean age is most accurate in the older age ranges. Correspondence between microscopically and macroscopically determined ages does not necessarily confirm the accuracy of either. It is also suggested that a combination of histological ageing and pubic symphysis ageing has the potential of producing more accurate results than either by itself.