Technical note: error in Olivier and Pineau's regression formulae for calculation of stature and lunar age from radial diaphyseal length in forensic fetal remains.

Stewart ([1979] Essentials of Forensic Anthropology, pp. 128-131) cites five regression formulae presented by Olivier and Pineau ([1960] Ann. Méd. Lég. 40:141-144) for estimation of fetal stature from diaphyseal length. Of these formulae, one appears problematic: the formula for calculation of stature from the radius yields values which suggest the fetus has a much greater crown-heel (CH) length than do the remaining formulae for the diaphyses of other long bones. Moreover, when this stature estimate, so derived, is then inserted into these authors' earlier general formula for estimation of lunar age (Olivier and Pineau [1958] Arch. Anat. 6:21-28) the error is compounded. A fetus is now indicated to be nearly a trimester older than when the CH lengths obtained by the other long bone formulae are used. Accordingly, we believe this particular formula, unlike the others, is incorrect and should not be used to estimate lunar age from fetal remains.