Determination of Sex from Footprint Dimensions in Contemporary Indian Bengali Population: A Pilot Study
Abstract
Footprint dimensions are vital evidences obtained from scenes of crime. Forensic scientists use this information to help identify the offender. Footprints have also been used to build the biological profile of an unknown individual for identification. The measurements are specific for race and sex. The objectives of the present study are to examine the sexual dimorphism of footprint dimensions in adults of an Indian Bengali sample and determine the sex from those measurements. The study was done on 100 adult volunteers of ethnic Bengali origin of West Bengal. Footprints were taken on glossy paper with blue stamp pad ink, and then measurements were taken to the nearest mm. Discriminant function analysis was conducted using several linear measurements, and discriminant function was obtained. Sex determination was successful in 82.0% of the samples. This study provides useful baseline morphometric data of footprints of the Indian Bengali population, which will aid in forensic investigations.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Krishan K. Individualizing characteristics of footprints
in Gujjars of north India—forensic aspects. Forensic Sci
Int. 2007;169(2-3):137-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
forsciint.2006.08.006
Krishan K. Estimation of stature from footprint and
foot outline dimensions in Gujjars of North India.
Forensic Sci Int. 2008;175(2-3):93-101. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2007.05.014
Kennedy RB, Pressman IS, Chen S, Petersen PH, Pressman
AE. Statistical analysis of barefoot impressions. J
Forensic Sci. 2003;48(1):1-9. https://doi.org/10.1520/
JFS2001337
Vernon DW, McCourt FJ. Forensic podiatry–a review
and definition. Br J Podiatr. 1999;2:45-8.
Burrow JG. Bare Footprint Analysis Comparing Two
Collection Methods Adopting the Reel Measurement
System and Adobe Photoshop. Forensic Res Criminol
Int J. 2016;2(2):00050. https://doi.org/10.15406/frcij.
02.00050
Burrow JG. The use of the Podotrack in forensic podiatry
for collection and analysis of bare footprints
using the Reel method of measurement. Sci Justice.
;56(3):216-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scijus.
02.001
Burrow JG. A Comparison between Manual and Digital
Measurements in Exemplar Bare Footprint Analysis.
Int J Forensic Sci.. 2017;1(3).
Burrow JG. Ghosting of images in barefoot exemplar
prints collection: issues for analyses. J Forensic Ident.
Sep 1;65(5):884.
Reel SM. Development and evaluation of a valid and
reliable footprint measurement approach in forensic
identification(Doctoral dissertation, University of
Leeds).
Reel S, Rouse S, Vernon W, Doherty P. Reliability of a
two-dimensional footprint measurement approach. Sci
Justice. 2010;50(3):113-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scijus.
11.007
Robbins LM. Footprints: collection, analysis, and interpretation.
Charles C. Thomas; 1985.
Kennedy RB, Yamashita AB. Barefoot morphology
comparisons: a summary. J Forensic Ident.
;57(3):383.
Gunn N. Old and new methods of evaluating footprint
impressions by a forensic podiatrist. Br J Podiatr Med
Surg. 1991;3:8-11.
Fawzy IA, Kamal NN. Stature and body weight estimation
from various footprint measurements among
Egyptian population. J Forensic Sci. 2010;55(4):884-8.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1556-4029.2010.01372.x
Das Sankar prasad, Chowdhuri Soumeek, Mukhopadhayay
Parthapratim. Estimation of stature from measurement
of footprint length in contemporary adult
Bengali population. Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine
& Toxicology 2016 ;10(2):2567-60.
Moorthy TN, Ling AY, Sarippudin SA, Nik Hassan NF.
Estimation of stature from footprint and foot outline
measurements in Malaysian Chinese. Aust J Forensic
Sci. 2014;46(2):136-59. https://doi.org/10.1080/00450
2013.825813
Hemy N, Flavel A, Ishak NI, Franklin D. Sex estimation
using anthropometry of feet and footprints in
a Western Australian population. Forensic Sci Int.
;231(1-3):402-e1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
forsciint.2013.05.029
Atamturk D. Estimation of sex from the dimensions
of foot, footprints, and shoe. Anthropologischer Anzeiger.
;68(1):21-9. https://doi.org/10.1127/0003-
/2010/0026
Abledu JK, Abledu GK, Offei EB, Antwi EM. Determination
of Sex from Footprint Dimensions in a Ghanaian
Population. PloS one. 2015;10(10):e0139891. https://
doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0139891
Mukhopadhyay PP. Determination of Sex from Adult
Sternum by Discriminant Function Analysis on Autopsy
Sample of Indian Bengali Population: A New Approach.
Governing Council 2010-2012.;32:321.
Mukhopadhyay PP. Determination of sex from
an autopsy sample of adult hyoid bones. Med Sci
Law. 2012 Jul;52(3):152-5. https://doi.org/10.1258/
msl.2011.012001
Mukhopadhyay PP. Determination of Sex by Sciatic
Notch/Acetabular Ratio (Kelley’s Index) in Indian
Bengali Skeletal Remains. J Ind Acad Forensic Med.
;34(1):27-30.
Mukhopadhyay PP. Determination of Sex from Fragment
of Hip Bone In Indian Bengali. J Indian Acad Forensic
Med. 2012;34(4):0971-3.
Sarkar NR, Mukhopadhyay PP. Sex Determination
from Clavicular Length and Mid-Shaft Diameter Using
Digital X-ray in Indian Bengali Population: A Preliminary
Study. Indian J Forensic Med Toxicol. 2015 Jul
;9(2).
Kanchan T, Krishan K, Prusty D, Machado M. Heel–
Ball index: An analysis of footprint dimensions for determination of sex. Egypt J Forensic Sci. 2014;4(2):29-
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejfs.2014.02.002
Krishan K, Kanchan T, Passi N, DiMaggio JA. Heel–
ball (HB) index: sexual dimorphism of a new index
from foot dimensions. J Forensic Sci. 2012;57(1):172-
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1556-4029.2011.01960.x
Basu N, Bandyopadhyay SK. Crime scene reconstruction—
Sex prediction from blood stained foot sole impressions.
Forensic sci int. 2017;278:156-72. https://
doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2017.06.017.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26735/16586794.2018.009
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.