Estimating Stature from the Length of the Lumbar Part of the Spine in Japanese

In order to estimate the stature from the length of the lumbar part of spine (LLPS), studies were made on Japanese males (n=42) and females (n=29) autopsied in our laboratory during 1984–1987. Somatometry was performed on the stature and LLPS in centimetres, the latter being measured from the upper edge of the first lumbar vertebral body, to the promontorium, along the anterior surface of the spine. LLPS were 19.9 ± 1.19 cm in males and 18.6 ± 0.84 cm in females (mean ± S.D.). The regression equations calculated were as follows: stature in males = LLPS × 3.23 + 101.7; stature in females = LLPS × 2.31 + 110.8. The standard errors of estimate were 6.16 cm in males and 4.05 cm in females. This method is useful for estimating the stature of severely burned or mutilated bodies which have no limbs.