Classification and misclassification in sexing the Black femur by discriminant function analysis

Area of Science:

• Forensic Anthropology
• Bioarchaeology
• Human Osteology

Background:

• Accurate sex assessment from skeletal remains is crucial in forensic and archaeological contexts.
• The femur is a frequently recovered bone, making it valuable for osteological analysis.
• Previous studies have explored various skeletal elements for sex estimation, with varying degrees of success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of stepwise discriminant function analysis using femoral measurements for sex assessment in North American Black individuals.
• To identify key femoral dimensions for reliable sex estimation.
• To compare the accuracy of this method with existing techniques and across different racial groups.

Main Methods:

• Stepwise discriminant function analysis was performed on 130 North American Black femora.
• Measurements included femoral length and three midshaft dimensions.
• The analysis aimed to classify individuals by sex based on these dimensions.

Main Results:

• The discriminant function analysis correctly assigned sex for 76.4% of the sample (range 70.8-81.5%).
• A "general size factor" significantly influenced both correct and incorrect sex classifications.
• Misclassified individuals often exhibited anomalies in size or in the relationship between circumference and femoral length, suggesting functional influences.

Conclusions:

• Femoral measurements provide a reliable method for sex assessment in North American Black populations.
• The method's accuracy is comparable to or exceeds that of other skeletal elements and methods.
• Race appears to be a less significant factor than sex in discriminant function analysis of these femoral variables, as evidenced by cross-validation studies.