Aye developed equations for using armspan and wrist circumference to determine the gender of human remains. The author is from the University of Maiduguri in Nigeria.
Subjects: young adults from 19 to 30 years of age
Parameters:
(1) armspan in meters: distance from the tip of the middle finger of the left hand to the tip of the middle finger of the right hand with the arms held at 90 degrees to the trunk.
(2) wrist circumference: measured with a flexible tape to the nearest 0.1 cm on the forearm of the nondominant hand at the point of the styloid processes
equation 1 = male =
= (196.512 * (armspan in m)) + (22.193 * (wrist circumference in cm)) - 364.364
equation 2 = female =
= (184.922 * (armspan in m)) + (19.929 * (wrist circumference in cm)) - 308.432
Interpretation:
• It appears that whichever equation is greater determines the gender (if equation 1 is greater than equation 2, then male).
Limitations:
• The use of the equations is limited since it requires relatively intact anatomy. It cannot be used for skeletal remains. The arm span can be estimated from arm length but still requires a fairly intact thorax and upper extremity.
• The results would be applicable to young adults free of upper limb deformity in Nigeria only.
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