Triangle identified at the proximal end of femur: a new sex determinant

Abstract

Deviating from the conventional measurements, the present study uses the points of traction epiphysis on the upper end the femur as a landmark for measurement. A triangle was drawn on the posterior aspect of the femur using the apex of two traction epiphyses and the lateral most point on the articular margin of head. The study was conducted on 200 male and 80 female femora belonging to Central India. The lengths of triangle, so drawn, yielded highly significant results. The measurements were further evaluated by discriminant function analysis. Employing a single variable attained a prediction accuracy of 85.5% for males and 81.3% for females. When the variables were combined into a function, the accuracy improved to 86.5% for males and 86.3% for females. One of the advantages of the measurements on the proximal end of femur is that they can be used on fragmented bone where the shaft and distal end are missing. The study has applied value in the field of forensic anthropology.