The Brazilian identified human osteological collections

Abstract

This short communication aims to inform the scientific community of the existence of seven identified osteological collections in Brazil, most of which are housed in universities: 21st Century Collection of the Center for Studies in Forensic Anthropology, Recife; Identified Skeletal Collection of Sergipanos of the University Tiradentes, Aracaju; Identified Skull Collection of the State of Bahia, Aracaju; Osteological and Tomographic Collection - Prof. Dr. Eduardo Daruge, Piracicaba; Osteological Collection of the Institute of Teaching and Research in Forensic Sciences, Guarulhos; Identified Skull Collection of the Anatomy Museum Alfonso Bovero, São Paulo; and the Identified Skull Collection, São Paulo. Three of these collections are from a northeast population, whereas the others are from individuals from the southeast region. Altogether, there are 925 skeletons and more than 998 skulls (three of the referenced collections have only skulls). Data on the number of individuals, sex, age, origin, and dates of inhumation and exhumation are available. This large quantity of identified skeletal remains is a fundamental source of research material that can be used to characterize the Brazilian population and facilitate the development of forensic anthropology. When contextualized within the reference series from South and Central America, it is clear that the Brazilian skeletal reference series hold a position of prominence.

Keywords: Brazil; Forensic anthropology; Forensic anthropology population data; Identified skeletons; Identified skulls.