Positive and negative identifications by dentistry

163

Rutter, THE

E. R. and P. H. Whitehead

FRACTIONATION

OF

(Reading,

A B H BLOOD

U.K.)

GROUP

SUBSTANCES

IN

SALIVA

This paper describes attempts to separate soluble A B H blood group substances in saliva into sub-groups by gel permeation chromatography. Salivas were chromatographed on Sephadex G 100 columns and a specially developed sensitive automatic analyser was used to measure blood group activity in the eluted fractions. With this system only one sub-group of large molecular weight was detected in the saliva of secretors. The results are compared with previously published work (Fiori, Giusti and Panari, Med. Leg. Domm. Corpor., 2 (1969) 364 - 366). Sakai, K. and H. Matsumoto COMPUTER

ANALYSIS

OF

(Kawasaki,

THE

HUMAN

Kanagawa,

Japan)

PROFILE

Various studies of human facial morphology have been made in the field of anthropology. However, in the field of forensic medicine, facial morphology has only recently been regarded as important in the identification of individuals such as those involved in mass disasters, or aircraft accidents, and in the identification of badly decomposed corpses or skeletons. Concurrent with the development of the computer, analysis of graphic figures is being applied in many fields. Using this method, we attempted to analyze the human facial profile as a graphic figure. The facial profile graph was expressed by a progression while substituting on this graphic figure two-dimensional coordinates. Also through the use of X-rays and photography, the bony and soft tissues of the facial profile were sought. We attempted to produce the profile on the facial skeleton by correlation values among these progressions and obtained some interesting results, Samis, P. (Montreal, A NEW

SYSTEM

OF

Canada) DENTAL

IDENTIFICATION

BY

X-RAY

DETECTABLE

INSERTS

The system consists of 1 or 2 inserts placed intracoronally or extracoronally by any dentist incident to regular restorative dental treatment. The inserts are relatively indestructible ceramic chip or carrier with intelligence recorded in a microminiature mode. They can be placed easily in or under virtually any restoration and in almost any tooth. This system is X-ray detectable, of low cost and capable of rapid expansion into a standardized world-wide system of identification. No new technology, materials, or training, is necessary for the dentist. No central repository of ante-mortem records is necessary. At post-mortem the only requirements are a 10 - 20 X microscope or magnifying lens and the usual dental X-rays. The report will include slides and photographs. Schegg, H.-K. (St. Gallen, Switzerland) POSITIVE

AND

NEGATIVE

IDENTIFICATIONS

From some of his own cases the author

BY

DENTISTRY

first reports on the positive

results obtained using the comparison identification method. However, as is quite often the case, negative identification results are also valuable to the police authorities. Through these one can exclude certain possibilities that would otherwise require quite detailed investigation. The author wishes in his lecture to emphasize just this fact which has perhaps in the field of forensic dentistry been a little neglected. However, in the case of unclear identification, it is necessary that a precise report be made by a specialist which can be passed on in an understandable form to a colleague. Schubert,

B. (Stockholm,

CHROMATOGRAPHIC

Sweden)

DETERMINATION

OF

SOME

CORTICOSTEROIDS

Corticosteroids, such as hydrocortisone and some synthetic analogs, are generally considered as doping substances, when given to a horse shortly before a race. For the prevention of such doping, analytical methods for this class of compounds are needed. Some methodological studies on this subject are presented, involving such techniques as solvent extraction, thin-layer chromatography, HPLC and GC. Seeley, N. J. (London,

U.K.)

THE

ANTIQUITIES

EXAMINATION

SCIENCE

OF

AND

WORKS

OF

ART

IN

THE

FORENSIC

LABORATORY

Antiquities and works of art are examined in the forensic science laboratory for a number of reasons, e.g., the identification of stolen property, the recovery of erased marks of ownership, and the determination of authenticity. Techniques which may be applied include photography, electron probe microanalysis, X-ray fluorescence, and other standard analytical methods. Sensabaugh,

G. F. (Berkeley,

MOLECULAR

EVOLUTION

OF

AND

Calif., U.S.A.) THE

IMMUNOLOGICAL

DETERMINATION

SPECIES

The value of immunology in questions of species determination is well established. Research studies over the past decade have shed light on the relationship of immunological specificity to protein structure and on the molecular bases of protein variation between species. It has become clear that different proteins evolve at different rates and that, for any given protein, the degree of immunological cross reactivity directly reflects protein sequence differences. These findings have several implications for the immunological determination of species, e.g., (a) species determination is facilitated by the use of monospecific antisera prepared against rapidly evolving proteins, (b) semi-quantitative techniques such as comparative double diffusion reactions provide a finer measure of species resolution than simple qualitative reactions, and (c) the proteins of closely related species (such as man and the higher primates) are sufficiently similar to impose inherent limits on immunological specificity, necessitating in these situations reliance on non-immunological proeedures of species differentiation.