The Foramen Magnum as a Determinant of Sex in a Series of Jamaican Crania

Abstract

One of the most vital tasks of a forensic anthropologist is sex determination utilizing the available bone. The need for methods to estimate sex from cranial fragments is manifested when only a part of the skull is brought for human identification. The foramen magnum is an important feature of the base of the cranium. In this present study, the morphometric measurements taken on foramen magnum from a well‐preserved collection of dry Jamaican skulls were analysed using standard osteometric techniques. The focus of this research was to determine the utility of the foramen magnum as a seminal factor of sex determination in Jamaican crania.A literature search revealed that there was no data available on the morphology and morphometry of the Foramen magnum in Jamaican Skulls, skulls of the Caribbean nor African‐Based Diaspora. Twenty human adult cadaver dry skulls of known sex which were available, were randomly selected from the collection of the Anatomy Section Section of the Department of Basic Medical Sciences at The University of the West Indies, Mona. and analysed in the present study. The foramen magnum shapes were determined as an oval shape 40%, round shape in 30% of cases, 25% tetragonal and 5% irregular. Using a digital caliper, spreading caliper and metrically aligned uniform string, three consecutive measurements were made for each craniometric measurement. The antero‐posterior and transverse diameters were measured and the average foraminal index was calculated. Data obtained may be useful to the neurosurgeon in analyzing the morphological anatomy of the Craniovertebral junction. The findings are also informative to Anatomists, Anthropologists, Archaeologists, Forensic Scientists and other medical fields.