Medico-Legal Update

Stature is one of the primary characteristics of identification. It's estimation is especially important in medico-legal cases where the dead body is found in skeletonised or dismembered state. In present study attempts are made to find out the correlation between the stature and hand length. 160 healthy medical students (80 male & 80 female) of Jhalawar medical college are included in study. All these students were measured for stature and hand length. The data obtained were analyzed statistically. Regression equations were derived for right and left hand separately in both male and female. With the help of these regression equations stature can be estimated when mutilated or dismembered portion of upper limb is found. Using the regression equations formulae derived in present study, stature can be estimated within the error of 3.76 to 4.07cm from the hand length.