SC - Spicing of Meats (longish)

[Brenna of Lyonsbane]

Philip & Susan Troy wrote:

> . If a forensic specialist has to examine a
> footprint and estimate the height of the individual that left it, he or
> she is still going to figure that size 13 footprint to come from someone
> around six feet tall, until evidence is found suggesting the contrary,
> no?
>
> Adamantius

First of all, I realize that people on this list probably don't intend to be as rude as
they appear, but it gets a bit wearing on here.  My experience, (and not just of myself)
has been that the height/shoe size thing is a myth.  In addtion, it has been explained
to me that while a pathologist may say that the size 13 shoe MAY be 6', he depends on
other things like legnth of stride before jumping to such a conclusion.  Wouldn't it be
a shame to let a murderer run free because he's 5' tall with a size 13 foot because some
pathologist made that determination?  Despite all the cops and robber shows out there,
there really is more to forensic medicine than old wives tales that say you will have a
bigger shoe size if you are taller.  In case you have no knowledge of genetics, there
are as many (or more) variables that determine your height compared to your shoe size.
It's not like we were the pea plants that high school biology teachers like to
study....it's not one single gene that says you are tall (or short).  It may be that
tall people, having more bulk to support have larger feet in general to give a greater
support base for their size, but there is no chart that says "You are 6 feet tall, you
will have between a size 12 and 13 foot."  In fact, footprints tell more of a person's
weight than height.  For instance, a size x foot that displaces y amount of damp clay
can be surmised by a pathologist to be between z and b pounds (unless they were carrying
something heavy at the time).  Gee, guess feet don't tell very much after all.

Brenna

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