About the anthropometric relationship between the foot length and the height in the newborn infants and adult subjects

• Published in: Sudebno-meditsinskaia ekspertiza Vol. 61; no. 3; p. 27
• Main Authors: Chulakhov, V N, Mashin, N K, Maksimov, N V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: Russia (Federation) 2018
• Subjects: dismembered corpse; foot length; anthropometric relationships; height diagnostics; body length; height
• ISSN: 0039-4521
• DOI: 10.17116/sudmed201861327-30

The objective of the present study was to clarify the relationship between the foot length and the height (body length) in the human subjects for the development of the rationale for the use of this characteristic for the estimation of the probable height of the newborn infants and adults. A total 1293 newborn babies (654 boys and 639 girls) were available for the examination. In addition, a mixed population of 12,141 men and 8213 women at the age ranging from 18 to 60 years and representing 49 ethnic groups were included in the study. We measured the height and the foot length in all the participants of the study and calculated the coefficients of correlation between these parameters. The same aspects of the anthropometric relationship between the height and the foot length were subjected to the analysis. It was shown that all the main characteristics of such dependence revealed in the adults are inherent in the newborn infant too; moreover, they are especially pronounced at birth. The differences were documented only between the relative values of the height to the foot length ratio. It is concluded that such qualitative differences can be accounted for by the fact that soon after the birth of a human being his (her) individual personality traits together with the age and gender as well as other subjective and objective factors begin to influence the above relationship. The coincidence of the height to the foot length ratios in the newborn infants and the adult subjects give evidence that such relationship is intrinsic in the anatomical structure of the human body. Therefore, it can be safely used for determining the height (body length) from the foot length for the purpose of forensic medical and criminalistic expertise.