Estimation of stature from the length of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar segments of the spine in American whites and blacks.

In order to estimate stature from the length of cervical, thoracic, lumbar, thoraco-lumbar (T-L) and cervico-thoraco-lumbar (C-T-L) segments of the spine, measurements were made on white and black Americans, both male and female, autopsied during 1977-1993. Sample sizes were as follows: white males = 167; white females = 58; black males = 43; black females = 31. Separate measurements were made of the vertebral segments along the anterior surface of the spine. Regression formulae were calculated for each segment in each of the four groups. Standard errors of estimate ranged from 2.60 to 7.11 cm. Comparison was made with previous work published for Japanese. The Japanese formulae could not predict stature of the American populations using our data. The method is useful for estimating the stature of severely burned or mutilated bodies.