The Department of Anthropology maintains three skeletal collections. The William M. Bass Forensic Skeletal Collection, which began with Professor Bass’s service as state anthropologist in the 1970s and consists of several hundred cases (gunshot wounds, stabbings, etc.) that have skeletal elements present. A small portion of relatively complete cases includes positively identified individuals, but most are unidentified. This collection is used in teaching and research. The William M. Bass Donated Skeletal Collection was begun in 1981 and consists of skeletons from several hundred donated bodies of known individuals. This is a research collection. The East Tennessee Osteopathological Collection includes several hundred individuals with known demographic information. It is derived from autopsy cases and consists of partial human skeletal remains, mostly representing cranial portions with gunshot trauma, hyoids, and clavicles.