title: Identifying chop marks on cremated bone: a preliminary study.
abstract: The purpose of this analysis is to evaluate the effects of burning on hacking trauma inflicted with a cleaver and to assess the diagnostic potential of cleaver marks exposed to fire. Thirty pig forelimbs (radius and ulna) and 30 beef ribs were each subjected to five blows with a cleaver and five cuts with a knife prior to burning in an outdoor fire. Bones were deliberately agitated to ensure maximum cremation and induce fragmentation. Results indicate that hacking weakens bone, making fire-induced fragmentation more likely at the sites of trauma. Chop marks were easily identified on burned bone, their characteristics largely unaffected by cremation.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000293:injuries*; D005552:Forelimb / Q000293:injuries; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000379:methods; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D009027:Mortuary Practice; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D012272:Ribs / Q000293:injuries; D013552:Swine; D014754:Violence; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis