SEX DETERMINATION OF FEMUR:A MORPHOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF MAXIMUM LENGTH OF FEMUR AND FEMORAL HEAD DIAMETER

The thigh bone or femur, is the body's longest and strongest bone. It supports the thigh's skeletal structure. It is made up of three parts: a proximal end, a shaft and a distal end. The proximal end of the femur has a head, a neck and two massive projections known as the greater trochanter and lesser trochanter on the upper part of the shaft. Its length corresponds to striding gait, while its strength corresponds to weight and muscular forces1. Since it shows considerable variation between individuals, it is widely studied to establish stature and locomotion pattern in skeletal remains for sex recognition2. It is most likely to withstand environmental effects and animal movements due to its robustness and strength3. Bones are an integral part of determining a person's biological profile. The determination of sex is the first step in constructing a profile and defining an individual's identity, as subsequent methods of determining age and stature are highly sex dependent3. The most sexually dimorphic bones are the skull and pelvis but, in their absence, sex must be determined from available bones4. Long bones are often found in good condition. The femur is the most sexually dimorphic of the three. The causes for this may be numerous, including variations in pelvic morphology caused by greater pelvic width in females, which is affected by reproductive function1.Body size and proportions are influenced by genetic variations, as are differences in musculature5,6. Female femora are normally shorter and have more obliquity than male femora. The typical male long bones are larger, longer, rougher and more massive than the typical female long bones. The study of sexual dimorphism is based on the idea that the male's axial skeleton weight is comparatively and completely heavier than the female's and that the femur bears the brunt of this weight in the transmission of body weight1,7.As a result, in today's world of rising crime, fatalities and mass disasters, witnessing human skeletal remains is becoming more common; the femur can play a key role in deciding sex.