The Bone Book: A Photographic Lab Manual for Identifying and Siding Human Bones - Softcover

Mann, Robert W., Ph.D.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0398091633 ISBN 13: 9780398091637

Publisher: Charles C Thomas Pub Ltd, 2017

Synopsis

This manual is the culmination of more than 35 years of skeletal analysis, teaching forensic anthropology and conducting skeletal research at universities and museums in the U.S., Asia, Pacific, Africa, and Europe. While there are many illustrated human osteology and anatomy books available to students and professionals, there is none that approaches the topic of identifying and siding human bones quite like The Bone Book, with its large, annotated color photographs and easy-to-follow steps. Designed for use in either the lab or the field, the book covers the material from top to bottom from cranium to metatarsals and phalanges with the help of more than 400 vivid, full-color photographs, clearly annotated to highlight key features. Complex bones, such as the cranium, are shown in multiple photos (including several exploded or disarticulated skulls, showing how the complex bones fit together). In addition to the photos, the book offers easy-to-follow instructions and mnemonic tips that guide the reader, step by step, through the process of identifying every individual bone and which side of the body it came from. The Bone Book can be used as a stand-alone reference or as a companion to other sources. Although most of the photos show adult bones, the book also includes helpful photos of subadult bones and even fetal bones, which some forensic cases involve. The Bone Book will contribute to filling a gap in identifying and siding bones more easily and, in that sense, add to the body of anthropological, anatomical, and medical literature. It will be useful to anthropology students, anatomists, surgeons, medical examiners, and others working with the human skeleton.

About this title

Review

The Bone Book: A Photographic Lab Manual for Identifying and Siding Human Bones, is an outstanding visual guide to identifying and organizing human skeletal remains both adult and sub-adult. True to his word, Dr. Mann provides an easy-to-use photographic reference book compiling the best known and professionally recognized techniques for identifying and siding every bone of the human skeleton. From the easily recognized humeri and femora to the more challenging carpals/tarsals, metacarpals/metatarsals, and phalanges, every bone receives expert attention even the often overlooked inner ear bones. Like most osteological and anatomical texts, The Bone Book is organized in a top-down approach, starting with the head and finishing with the feet. There is not a great deal of text, but what is present provides brief but helpful explanations on the bone(s) being pictured, including common siding errors and common features and variations to the bone. However, the primary focus of the text accompanying all images is to identify and correctly side the bone(s) in question, whether it be by morphology, the position of articulating surfaces and borders, or via siding tricks. Given that the manual is meant to be a photographic guide, the restricted use of text serves the manual well, eliminating any longwinded descriptions that can easily overwhelm the reader. Overall, The Bone Book is a fantastic addition to the literature on osteology and anthropology, offering a complete and detailed visual encyclopaedia of the disarticulated human skeleton for the forensic anthropologist. By compiling the best techniques, tips, and tricks that he has learned, developed, and used over his more than 35 years of experience, Dr. Mann has created an invaluable compendium of techniques for identifying and siding human skeletal remains. --Kent M. Adamson, MSc, MCSFS,School of Science, Engineering and Design,Teesside University

Edition details

• Publisher: Charles C Thomas Pub Ltd
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0398091633
• ISBN 13: 9780398091637
• Binding: Spiral-bound
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 375