ABSTRACT
Along with projectile and blunt trauma, forensic anthropologists may encounter wounds caused by sharp instruments, as well as the fracturing of the hyoid bone from strangulation. Although more subtle, these two types of trauma can give important clues as to cause and manner of death. To analyze sharp trauma, all bones of the skeleton must be scrutinized for the characteristics of this type of injury. For strangulation, usually only the hyoid shows evidence of this cause of death; but other characteristics of this bone (e.g., age of the person at death) make fracture analysis diffi cult. Thus, perhaps more than any other lab, you must be especially vigilant when examining bone for these types of trauma.
