LINEAR, MASS AND VOLUMETRIC PARAMETERS OF MALE METATARSAL BONES

INTRODUCTION. Determining the sex of human skeletal remains is a key task in archaeological and forensic anthropology. Osteometric parameters of the foot, particularly the metatarsal bones, can serve as reliable diagnostic markers due to their relative functional neutrality and genetic determinism.

OBJECTIVE. The aim of this study was to examine the variability of quantitative osteometric parameters and physical characteristics of the metatarsal bones in the male foot.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. The material consisted of 50 identified skeletal specimens from male individuals aged 20–70 years. These were obtained from the repository of the Department of General and Clinical Morphology at Ulyanovsk State University as part of a study funded by a grant from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research. Direct osteometric measurements of ten parameters (bone length, diaphysis width and height, base width and height, head width and height, mass, volume, and density) were performed using an electronic caliper (0.01 mm accuracy), electronic scales, and the water displacement method. Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, the coefficient of variation, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a significance level of p < 0.05.

RESULTS. Statistically significant differences were found among metatarsal bones I–V for all studied parameters. The greatest length was characteristic of metatarsal bone II (72.7 ± 0.81 mm), while the shortest was for metatarsal bone I (60.5 ± 5.5 mm). The greatest diaphysis width and height, base and head width and height, as well as mass and volume, were recorded for metatarsal bone I. Coefficients of variation ranged from 7.2% (length of bone IV) to 33.1% (diaphysis height of bone II), indicating heterogeneous variability of these characteristics.

CONCLUSION. The identified patterns can be used to establish individual identity in forensic practice and also complement the fundamental understanding of skeletal morphogenesis. 

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