*Address for correspondence: Dr. Jagmahender Singh, # 905 B, Sector 43 A, Chandigarh 160030, India jagmindera@hotmail.com
Of the 343 stemums (Male = 252, Female = 91) examined for the presence ofmeso-sternal foramina, 33 (13.10%) male and 8 (8.79%) female were found to have this midline osseous defect between third and fourth sternubrae. Cadavers belonging to the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh had a greater incidence and larger size of the sternal foramina than those of the other states. The total incidence (11.95%) was more than that reported in earlier Indian studies. The foramen was found to be of no use in determining the sex or age of the bones. Majority of the sternal foramina were either longitudinally oval or circular in outline.
Forensic science, forensic anthropology, sternum, non-metric traits, mesosternal foramen, fenestra sterni
