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Pigs vs people: the use of pigs as analogues for humans in forensic entomology and taphonomy research
Matuszewski, S Moreau, G Schoenly, KG Tarone, AM Villet, MH
Matuszewski, S
Moreau, G
Schoenly, KG
Tarone, AM
Villet, MH
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2019-06-17
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2020-09-07
Subject Terms
Forensic entomology
Forensic taphonomy
Pig carcasses
Human corpses
Animal models
Decomposition ecology
Forensic taphonomy
Pig carcasses
Human corpses
Animal models
Decomposition ecology
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Abstract
Most studies of decomposition in forensic entomology and taphonomy have used non-human cadavers. Following the recommendation of using domestic pig cadavers as analogues for humans in forensic entomology in the 1980s, pigs became the most frequently used model cadavers in forensic sciences. They have shaped our understanding of how large vertebrate cadavers decompose in, for example, various environments, seasons and after various ante- or postmortem cadaver modifications. They have also been used to demonstrate the feasibility of several new or well-established forensic techniques. The advent of outdoor human taphonomy facilities enabled experimental comparisons of decomposition between pig and human cadavers. Recent comparisons challenged the pig-as-analogue claim in entomology and taphonomy research. In this review, we discuss in a broad methodological context the advantages and disadvantages of pig and human cadavers for forensic research and rebut the critique of pigs as analogues for humans. We conclude that experiments using human cadaver analogues (i.e. pig carcasses) are easier to replicate and more practical for controlling confounding factors than studies based solely on humans and, therefore, are likely to remain our primary epistemic source of forensic knowledge for the immediate future. We supplement these considerations with new guidelines for model cadaver choice in forensic science research.
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Matuszewski, S., Hall, M.J.R., Moreau, G. et al. Pigs vs people: the use of pigs as analogues for humans in forensic entomology and taphonomy research. Int J Legal Med 134, 793–810 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-019-02074-5
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Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
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0937-9827
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1437-1596
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openAccess