FORENSIC 3-DIMENSIONAL FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION - HISTORICAL REVIEW AND CONTEMPORARY DEVELOPMENTS

Despite varied attempts to achieve standardization in traditional tech niques and the promotion of some newly developed ones, facial reconstr uction remains on the threshold between art and science. It is the poi nt at which science ends and the medical illustrator takes over that h as led to most reservations over this branch of forensic anthropology. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that many techniques of f acial reconstruction are prima facie questionable and to illustrate so me possible solutions to the problems which are currently being explor ed by the Facial Reconstcuction Project at the University of Sheffield (UK). The review includes 15 responses to a questionnaire which was o ffered to facial reconstruction experts and related specialists. The u se of 3D color laser scanning equipment, collection of tissue depth me asurements from CT scans and the development of a computer system for 3D forensic facial reconstruction, are described.