My Goal

There are multiple methods of stature estimation. The 2 most common being the mathematical method and the anatomical method. The mathematical method uses a regression formula and a single bone length to estimate the living stature, or the height of the person when they were alive. The anatomical method, on the other hand, uses every single bone that contributes to height. However, simply adding up all of these measurements will not determine the actual living height of the person because it does not account for the tissues, cartilage, etc. that are found within the bones in a living human body. Therefore, an equation must be derived. In general, the addition of equations presents the issue of accuracy because there is an extremely large amount of variation in humans so that no single equation can be applied accurately to fit multiple different people. The problem increases because human population demographics are frequently changing so stature estimation equations will eventually become outdated. For instance, the average young adult today is almost ten centimeters taller than the average young adult from a century ago. My product aims to reduce inaccuracies as much as possible. 

The original fully equation vs. the revised equation

The original Fully estimation equation involves the addition of all bones that contribute to height. Although it is widely used, it has undergone minimal testing on samples other than the original sample used to develop the technique. Furthermore, the original description by George Fully of the method does not provide clear directions for taking all of the necessary measurements. The revised Fully estimation equation was derived from a sample of 119 modern adults. This new sample tested the accuracy and applicability of the original Fully method, and clarified measurement procedures. This study resulted in the derivation of two new, more accurate, equations. One including the age factor, the other not including this factor.
1. Living Stature = 1.009 x Skeletal height - 0.0426 x age + 12.1
2. Living Stature = 0.996 x Skeletal height + 11.7