| Abstract: |
The sample of this study consists of 102 documented individuals from a contemporary collection housed at Chiang Mai University Hospital, Thailand. Three of seven dimensions were selected using stepwise discriminant function analysis in the following order: proximal epiphyseal breadth, nutrient foramen circumference, and distal epiphyseal breadth. This function produced an average accuracy of 94%. When individual dimensions were analyzed, classification accuracy ranged from 68% (minimum circumference) to 89% (distal breadth). This work reveals that intra- and inter-populational variation in sexual dimorphism are clear in both degree of expression and its distribution within a single bone. The high accuracy rates, which are higher than those for the skull, may in part be due to genetically determined postcranial sizes, but occupation styles and societal roles may also play a role. The present study leaves no doubt that the metric manifestations of sexual dimorphism are highly population-specific
it is therefore imperative to calculate appropriate standards for even relatively closely situated populations.
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