The contents are assembled by categories corresponding to various aspects of osteology. The discussion of the recovery and treatment of bones deals with forensic studies of recovered skeletal material and the processing of such material at the recovery site and in the laboratory. The section on the human skeleton consists of brief but complete descriptions of the normal anatomy of the skull, the vertebral column, thorax bones, and bones of the upper and lower extremities. Comments on dentition present terminology and a discussion of the anatomy of the permanent teeth, dental crown morphology, and dental pathology. Guidance regarding the reconstruction of the individual from the skeleton includes methods for determining age, sex, race, and stature. Included in the discussion of anthropometry are definitions of terms and concepts and lists of the skeleton's metric traits. The consideration of skeletal nonmetric traits focuses on nonmetric traits of the cranium and includes a listing and description of previously published and newly identified nonmetric variables. The concluding section examines the pathogenesis and possible etiology of congenital anomalies and malformation of the skull and postcranial skeleton. This volume could be used as an advanced textbook for physical anthropologists or archeologists and as an aid to police personnel and medical examiners involved in the medicolegal investigation of death. About 350 references and an index are provided. (Author abstract modified)