Current Issue (Vol 61, No. 2 | July, 2026)

Estimation of stature from other body segments plays a crucial role in personal identification from the perspectives of forensic anthropology and medico-legal investigation. The present research aims to examine the efficacy of estimating stature using digit lengths of both hands. The study involved 470 Bengali-speaking Hindu young adults (234 males and 236 females). The participants represent students of some coeducational general degree colleges located across different sub-divisions of the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, India. We measured the digit lengths of both the hands and stature of the participants following standard protocol and derived the multiplication factor of each digit of both left and right hands. Linear regression analyses were applied to identify the efficacy of digital lengths in predicting stature. The findings revealed that the combined lengths of all the digits of each hand of the participants have limitations in determining stature (Adjusted R² < 0.4 for both males and females) in both the sexes. Though digit 3 exhibited the highest R² values for both sexes, there has been little change in the overall impact. Compared to females, the combined digit length of males has a slightly higher predictive value (statistically not significant) for stature. We conclude from the study that the combined digit length of both males and females does not have any predictive value with regard to stature, even when it is significantly correlated with the latter.