Chapter 1348 - 1274: Pinpointed to the Individual
Without the skull’s front, only the side and top of the skull, what use could it possibly have?
Naturally, it is extremely useful. For instance, if we restore the side and top of the skull and find that it’s a flat head, doesn’t that narrow down the deceased’s place of birth and origin?
Similarly, when analyzing a skull in Malaysia, even if the front is severely damaged, the other three sides along with the remaining front bones can first be used to distinguish race.
The main ethnic groups in Malaysia are Malays, Chinese, and Indians, along with a small number of indigenous people.
In terms of skull morphology alone, Malays have the lowest skull cap, followed by Chinese, Indians have the highest, and indigenous people’s are low and flat. The orbits are also different; Malays have rounded orbits with blunted rims, Chinese have square-round ones with sharper rims, Indians have round orbits with sharp upper rims...
All these factors, including cheekbones, brow ridges, teeth, etc., have statistical differences among different races. These are not easily destroyed in a beating from the perpetrator, though some are useful and some are not.
For instance, in terms of teeth, Chinese have a high rate of cavities, while Malays have more wear on the facial side of the teeth due to betel nut chewing...
In summary, to a forensic anthropologist, a person’s life is ultimately condensed in their bones.
Not everyone keeps a diary, but everyone’s skeleton is their diary.
Jiang Yuan examined one bone after another, occasionally making some notes, without rushing to any conclusions.
If there is only one piece or a small amount of bone, then any conclusion will often include prefixes like "or," "maybe," "possibly."
Of course, a full set of bones is also possible. To get precise conclusions, it often requires the owner of the bones to have been very cooperative in life, doing things few do, contracting illnesses few get, suffering injuries few endure... It’s an enormous effort to speak after death, through the voice of a forensic anthropologist, to tell stories only a few can tell.