Sources of Sharp-Force Trauma of the Winchester Anatomized Site Assemblage, Massachusetts

Abstract

Sites where anatomized remains (those subjected to dissection and surgical practice, often with a population derived disproportionately from marginalized individuals) were deposited can come under forensic anthropological analysis, as these are often unmarked burials of unknown individuals. One of the most important criteria in identifying the origin of such remains is the presence of sharp-force trauma, including sawing and drilling (trephinations). The present research examined the human remains from the Winchester Anatomized Site in Massachusetts, dated to as early as the 1850s. The sawn assemblage consists of 1365 adult (9.4% of the overall adult assemblage) and 67 juvenile elements (9.3% of the overall juvenile assemblage). Multiple cranial vault portions exhibited evidence of craniotomy, and three crania also had trephinations. Evidence of surgical training in amputations was present in the form of transverse/oblique complete cuts located on the long bones, and 125 sternal segments and 133 rib segments had sawing consistent with accessing the thoracic cavity. The implements utilized on the skeletal remains were consistent with a narrow, flat-bladed saw with 18 teeth per inch (TPI) (7 teeth per cm), conforming to bone saws of the era, and a trephine. The overall sharp-force pattern was consistent with other known anatomized sites in the United States and was inconsistent with modern dismemberments, corroborating the origin of the deposits as a discarded anatomized assemblage.