Cannibalism-overview and medicolegal issues

Abstract

Cannibalism, the consumption of another by an individual of the same species, is a widespread practice amongst many animal groups. Human cannibalism or anthropophagy, however, is less common but has been found in many diverse groups ranging from hominids to Crusaders and soldiers in World War II. Although the existence of human cannibalism has been vigorously debated in recent times, it seems clear that well-described cases have occurred. The motivation for consuming human tissues may be (1) nutritional, (2) ritual and (3) pathological. A case of alleged cannibalism involving one of the victims of the so-called Snowtown serial killings in South Australia, Australia, is reported with an analysis of the history and features of cannibalism. Forensic problems may occur in accurately identifying remains that have been cannibalized; however, if ritualistic, serial and/or sadistic homicides are encountered, cannibalism should be considered, particularly if body parts are missing.

Keywords: Cannibalism; Ritual; Sadism; Serial murder; Sexual murder.

Fig. 1

A portion of maxilla from Gough’s Cave showing cut marks suggestive of defleshing. (Natural History Museum, London, Nicolas Perrault III, made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication)

Fig. 2

The front of the bank in Snowtown, South Australia, where six barrels were found in May 1998 containing eight intact and partially dismembered bodies

Fig. 3

The departure of the “Erebus” and “Terror” in 1845 on the ill-fated Franklin Arctic Expedition (Illustrated London News -Public domain)

Fig. 4

Skulls of sailors from the Franklin expedition found on King William Island (Library and Archives Canada)

Fig. 5

Traditional cannibal forks, or bulutoko, that were used by priests and chieftains in Fiji for eating human flesh so that they did not have to touch it

Fig. 6

Cannibals with portions of their victims in the Samara province of the Volga region during the Russian famine of 1921–1922 (Public domain)