A Method for Visual Determination of Sex, Using the Human Hip Bone

A Method for Visual Determination of Sex, Using the Human Hip Bone

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 117:157–168 (2002) A Method for Visual Determination of Sex, Using the Human Hip Bone Jaroslav Bruzek* U.M.R. 5809 du C.N.R.S., Laboratoire d’Anthropologie des Populations du Passe´ Universite´ Bordeaux I, 33405 Talence, France KEY WORDS human pelvis; sex determination; morphological traits; method ABSTRACT A new visual method for the determina- identify sex in only 3%. The advantage of this new method tion of sex using the human hip bone (os coxae) is pro- is a reduction in observer subjectivity, since the evalua- posed, based on a revision of several previous approaches tion procedure cannot involve any anticipation of the re- which scored isolated characters of this bone. The efficacy sult. In addition, this method of sex determination in- of the methodology is tested on a sample of 402 adults of creases the probability of a correct diagnosis with isolated known sex and age of French and Portuguese origins. fragments of the hip bone, provided that a combination of With the simultaneous use of five characters of the hip elements of one character is found to be typically male or bone, it is possible to provide a correct sexual diagnosis in female. Am J Phys Anthropol 117:157–168, 2002. 95% of all cases, with an error of 2% and an inability to © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Correct sex identification of the human skeleton is The method proposed by Iscan and Derrick (1984) important in bioarcheological and forensic practice. provides an accuracy level of 90% (Iscan and Dun- Current opinion regards the hip bone (os coxae) as lap, 1983), but it cannot be regarded as equivalent to providing the highest accuracy levels for sex deter- the results found with methods using the entire hip mination. However, “simple” observations of the hip bone. The accuracy of the method of Ferembach et bone without any scoring of related traits should not al. (1980) has not been studied. Bruzek and Ferem- be normally considered proper, despite the fact that bach (1992) found 93% correct sex assignment, using the results may be surprisingly accurate. Only those a set of eight variables of the hip bone. However, this procedures which define a precise and unambiguous method necessitates highly trained observers with methodology leading to an accurate diagnosis of sex experience in morphological variability, because it is should be employed. based on an ordinal scale of evaluation. Three techniques for the visual evaluation of When (Novotny´, 1981, 1988) studied the discrim- traits of the hip bone are: 1) the method of Phenice ination power of 14 sexually dimorphic traits of the (1969), which uses three traits on the pubis, 2) the hip bone frequently used in sex determination, he method of Iscan and Derrick (1984) using the poste- replaced a descriptive or ordinal evaluation of char- rior pelvis, and 3) the method of Ferembach et al. acters (e.g., small, wide, shallow) with binary scor- (1980) of sexing the entire pelvis through an evalu- ing (yes or no) along an intermediate category mor- ation of eleven traits. However, even if it is generally phology. He then selected the characters with the accepted that these methods provide satisfactory ac- highest diagnostic value, reducing the analysis to curacy, only a few studies have tested their reliabil- three complex variables: the preauricular surface, ity in known-sex samples and, surprisingly, the re- the sciatic notch, and the inferior aspect of the hip sults are often ignored. bone. These characters reduce misclassification The results from the method of Phenice (1969) (Bruzek, 1991). In addition, Rogers and Saunders have been inconsistent, as accuracy levels range (1994) tested accuracy and reliability in a set of 17 from 59% (MacLaughlin and Bruce, 1990) to 96% individual traits on a small sample of identified pel- (Schone, quoted in Sutherland and Suchey, 1991). ves. Accuracy varied from 6.1–94.1% for each indi- Such inconsistency is due to the fact that sexual vidual pelvic trait, and the greatest accuracy was dimorphism of the whole hip bone should be consid- obtained by combining the scoring of three traits. ered, and observations should not be restricted to the pubis (Novotny´, 1986; Bruzek, 1992). Following Lovell (1989), MacLaughlin and Bruce (1990), and *Correspondence to: Jaroslav Bruzek, Laboratoire d’Anthropologie Bruzek (1991), the reliability of the method of des Populations du Passe´, UMR 5809 du CNRS, Universite´ Bordeaux I, Avenue des Faculte´s, 33 405 Talence, France. Phenice (1969) is probably ca. 80%. Furthermore, E-mail [email protected] pubic preservation rarely exceeds 30% in archaeo- logical samples (Waldron, 1987). Received 2 September 1997; accepted 21 August 2001. © 2002 WILEY-LISS, INC. DOI 10.1002/ajpa.10012 158 J. BRUZEK The level of intraobserver error for all pelvic traits in pelvis: the sacroiliac complex and the ischiopubic combination was 11.3%. complex. The first three characters are sex-specific In these techniques and evaluations of them, the adaptations of the sacroiliac complex to bipedal lo- frequently cited drawbacks of visual techniques for comotion. Expression of sexual dimorphism in the determining the sex of an individual are: 1) the high sacroiliac complex is visible during the fetal period degree of observer subjectivity, 2) a lack of consis- (Boucher, 1955; Fazekas and Kosa, 1978; Holcomb tency in the evaluation of traits, and 3) a strong and Konigsberg, 1995). The fourth and fifth charac- dependence on the results of previous experiences of ters (the ischiopubic complex) reflect the adaptation the observer. Nonetheless, there is an advantage in of the female pelvic canal to the requirements of visual techniques, which emanate from their rapid- reproduction. In addition, this region reflects differ- ity of use as well as their ability to be used when ences in the anatomy of the external genitalia in damage does not allow complete set if measure- both sexes. Manifestations of sexual dimorphism in ments. the ischiopubic complex do not begin until puberty To address these problems, this study proposes a (Coleman, 1969). method for the visual allocation of sex from the hip bone, emphasizing four aspects insufficiently consid- General procedure ered in previous studies. First, there is a reduction Table 1 presents a formula for sex diagnosis and of observer subjectivity during the evaluation of se- the principles of evaluation. The first column lists lected traits by using only three possibile scores the five characters used. Sexing can be divided into (present, indeterminate, absent), contrary to ordinal three steps: 1) scoring of the traits; 2) evaluation of scoring in which it is always difficult to make a the form of the character; and 3) sexual diagnosis decision between two neighboring categories. Sec- based on the five characters (last column). ond, the method eliminates confusion between traits Each character is defined either by one condition (e.g., the preauricular and paraglenoid grooves, (simple: third and fifth characters) or three condi- which represent separate elements; Kurihara et al., tions (complex: first, second, and fourth characters). 1996). Third, when necessary for complex charac- The observer determines whether each character is ters, it uses a rigorous evaluation of three relatively male or female or indeterminate. For the simple independent characters reflecting the sex of the in- characters, this score corresponds directly to the dividual. When at least two of these elements lead in sexual form of character, designated by symbols “F” the same direction, it is possible to decide whether a for female form, “0” for intermediate form, or “M” for determination is possible. A reliable male or female male form. The sexual form of complex characters diagnosis is considered possible when at least two results from the combination of the three separate variables are concordant. This approach is the oppo- subcharacters. When at least two answers indicate site to one attempting to score a primary sexual either “male” or “female,” these are used as a basis characteristic, thereby anticipating the presence or to determine sexual morphology. A majority of “F” or absence of its secondary manifestations. And fourth, “M” sexual forms indicates female and male sex, this method can be applied to damaged or incom- respectively. If equal amounts of the sexual forms plete hip bones. are present, sex is considered as indeterminate. We MATERIALS should underscore that all the figures given in this text are provided for strictly illustrative purpose and This study is based on an examination of 402 do not correspond at all to practical diagnostic tools. specimens of adult individuals of known sex from two European collections (Paris, France: 98 males Preauricular surface and 64 females; Coimbra, Porugal: 106 males and 134 females). The French collection dates to the first On the preauricular surface, three morphological half of the twentieth century (Carre, 1978; Olivier, structures may occur independently of each other, 1972); the Portuguese collection includes people all of which are sexually dimorphic (Fig. 1). The first born between 1820–1920, for which a number of structure was originally described by Lo¨hr (1894) as sociological, medical, and anthropological data are the “paraglenoid groove” and is characterized by a also available (Bocquet et al., 1978). depression or groove along the antero-inferior edge METHODS of the auricular surface. The arc of the groove is open, or makes up less than half the circumference Five characters of the hip bone were used. They of a circle (Hoshi, 1961). The depression is a result of are: 1) aspects of the preauricular surface (Novotny´, ligaments exerting tension on the sacroiliac joint 1981), 2) aspects of the greater sciatic notch (No- capsule (Weisl, 1954). This groove is related to gen- votny´, 1981), 3) the form of the composite arch eral skeletal robusticity and thus is more frequent in (Genove´s, 1959), 4) the morphology of the inferior males (Lazorthes and Lhe´s, 1939).

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