Pollock Corey R, Pokines James T, Bethard Jonathan D
Boston University School of Medicine, Forensic Anthropology Program, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, 72 E. Concord Street, Boston, MA 02118, United States.
Boston University School of Medicine, Forensic Anthropology Program, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, 72 E. Concord Street, Boston, MA 02118, United States; Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 720 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, United States.
Forensic Sci Int. 2018 Feb;283:200-210. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2017.12.021. Epub 2017 Dec 21.
Determining the depositional environment and the postmortem alterations to a set of remains are necessary aspects of a forensic investigation to explain the circumstances surrounding the death of an individual. The present study examines organic staining as a method for reconstructing the depositional environment of skeletal remains and the taphonomic agents with which they came into contact. Organic staining results largely from tannins leaching from plant materials and therefore can be seen on bone deposited in wooden coffin environments or on terrestrial surfaces. The present study examines the hypothesis that the degree of staining observed on skeletal elements would increase as the length of exposure to the organic matter increased and that different plant materials and environments would leave different patterns or colorations of staining. The sample consisted of 165 pig (Sus scrofa) femora divided into four groups exposed to differing experimental conditions, including burial in direct contact with soil or burial in a simulated coffin environment, immersion in water with wood samples, and surface deposition with plant matter contact. The bones were removed once a month from their experimental environments and the level of staining was recorded qualitatively using the Munsell Soil Color Chart. In all of the experimental environments, staining was present after two months of exposure, and the color darkened across the bone surface with each episode of data collection. The results from the present study indicate that staining can manifest on bone within a relatively short time frame once skeletonization occurs and a variety of colorations or patterns of staining can manifest based on the plant material. The present research also demonstrates the potential of organic staining to aid in estimations of the postmortem interval as well as a depositional environmental reconstruction through plant species identification.
确定一组遗骸的沉积环境和死后变化是法医调查的必要方面，以解释围绕个体死亡的情况。本研究考察了有机染色作为一种重建骨骼遗骸沉积环境以及它们接触的埋藏学因素的方法。有机染色主要源于植物材料中鞣质的浸出，因此可以在沉积于木棺环境或陆地表面的骨骼上看到。本研究检验了以下假设：骨骼元素上观察到的染色程度会随着接触有机物时间的延长而增加，并且不同的植物材料和环境会留下不同的染色图案或颜色。样本由165根猪（野猪）股骨组成，分为四组，暴露于不同的实验条件下，包括直接与土壤接触埋葬或在模拟棺木环境中埋葬、与木材样本一起浸泡在水中以及与植物物质接触的表面沉积。每月从实验环境中取出骨骼，使用孟塞尔土壤颜色图表定性记录染色水平。在所有实验环境中，暴露两个月后均出现染色，并且每次数据收集时骨骼表面的颜色都会变深。本研究结果表明，一旦骨骼化发生，染色可以在相对较短的时间内出现在骨骼上，并且基于植物材料可以出现各种染色颜色或图案。本研究还证明了有机染色在帮助估计死后间隔以及通过植物物种鉴定进行沉积环境重建方面的潜力。
