A comparison of anatomical and mathematical methods of stature estimation using a historic cemetery collection

Stature forms a key component of the biological profile in bioarchaeological studies. It is used to study changes in body proportions across populations through time, and often serves as a proxy for stress during growth and development. Problematically, there are logistic and practical obstacles to stature estimation in historic United States cemeteries which are largely unaddressed in current research. This thesis investigates the best methods for stature estimation in a historic Western U.S. cemetery. The demography of this region at the time was complex, composed of Native Americans, Mexican Americans, domestic immigrants, and foreign immigrants including Chinese and Japanese. Thus, stature estimation is a challenge, as traditional methods rely on population-specific regression formulae. To evaluate stature estimation methods, the anatomical and mathematical (regression) methods were conducted on a sample of 38 individuals from the Valley Medical Center (VMC) pauper cemetery (1871-1935) in Santa Clara County, California. Comparisons between this cemetery and contemporaneous pauper cemeteries in the Eastern U.S. were also conducted. It was hypothesized that the anatomical and mathematical methods would produce different stature estimates, and that age and ancestry affiliation would affect their efficacy. Additionally, it was hypothesized that stature estimates at VMC would differ from the comparative samples, due to demographic differences. Results suggest that although none of the comparisons yielded statistical difference, ancestry played a role in trends of difference. These results highlight current limitations in interpretation of stature in bioarchaeological populations in more recent U.S. history, and emphasize the need to continue investigating and improving methodology.