As I understand it the forensic wash that they did inside the skull is for more able to soak into the bone and leech out tissue than any eyes-on exam they could do by opening the top and looking. I think forensic anthropologists - those that deal with old bones rather than the exam the medical examiner does, use the wash technique more than anything. The put the solution into the cavity, let it set, remove and and analyze all the bits of things that soaked loose and became part of the solution. That is a technique routinely used to study many things - put them into solution, separate them by tissue type, if any, etc. I'm describing it badly since I'm no scientist but I think the technique they use in the case is the current peer reviewed technique for anthropologists.
__________________  Jeanie and Tibbe One must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. C. S. Lewis |