Erreurs systématiques dans la détermination de l'âge par les sutures crâniennes

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Summary There exists a correlation between age and cranial sutures synostosis. This correlation is rather weak: the standard error of estimate of age by the sutures of the tabula externa is around 11 or 12 years. The dubiousness of the result can be somewhat reduced in taking the tabula interna sutures into account. If it is rather purposeless to try to estimate the age of one isolated individual with only the cranial sutures, it is, on the other hand, quite justifiable to try to reconstitute the age structure of a somewhat numerous population. The incertitude flattens notably the histogram representing the structure. It respects, however, the hierarchy of age-groups, so far, at least, as it does not include systematic errors. There are chiefly three types of them. The first one comes out from a statistic law establishing that a table giving the sutures synostosis degree in terms of age is unsuitable to give, as well, the age in terms of the sutures synostosis degree. Two different tables must be used for each of the two relations. The breaking of this law causes a distorsion of the age structure around the middle ages, with a global apparent rejuvenation varying between 3 and 8 years. The second error appears when one makes use of the numbers given in 1925 by Mr. Todd and Lyon. The determination of age was not the object of their research and it is unproper to utilize their numbers in this way. Any use, even partial, of tables grounded on their publication causes a global apparent rejuvenation that can amount to 15 years. The third error results from a misreading of sexual differences in the process of the synostosis of sutures. The modal likeness between men and women has obliterated less directly visible differences that interest the variations, in function of age, of the dispersion and the skewness of statistic series constituted by suturai ages. The two differences combine their effects: consequently, the feminine ages are a little more underestimated than the masculine ages, and, what is more, the age structure of the feminine population is strongly perturbed. It is possible, by making adequate corrections, to eliminate the influence of these systematic errors.Masset Claude. Erreurs systématiques dans la détermination de l'âge par les sutures crâniennes. In: Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'anthropologie de Paris, XII° Série. Tome 7 fascicule 1, 1971. pp. 85-105

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: