Classification of bone injuries inflicted by the teeth of the carnivorous animals

The morphological characteristics of a variety of bone injuries inflicted by the teeth of the carnivorous animals are presented. The results of their analysis provided a basis for the morphological classification of such traumas taking into consideration the current views of the mechanisms underlying the process of their formation.     

Forensic photography. Ultraviolet imaging of wounds on skin

The use of ultraviolet light (UVL) to study and document patterned injuries on human skin has opened a new frontier for law enforcement. This article discusses the photographic techniques involved in reflective and fluorescent UVL. Documentation of skin wounds via still photography and dynamic video photographic techniques, which utilize various methods of UV illumination, are covered. Techniques important for courtroom presentation of evidence gathered from lacerations, contusions, abrasions, and bite marks are presented through case studies and controlled experiments. Such injuries are common sequelae in the crimes of child abuse, rape, and assault.     

Forensic medical examination of abrasions in the study of mummified tissues in experiment

Morphological and biophysical characteristics of abrasions and intact skin were studied during the process of their mummification at temperatures from 40 to 70 degrees C. The time after which the injuries become undetectable because color of the skin and injuries coincides, was determined. Changes in configuration and area of abrasions while drying are described. The rate of mummification and duration of the latter were established by dielectric indices of abrasions and skin at 10 cm wave length.     

电烧伤皮肤金属元素的测定

本实验系用220V交流电源和直径2.0mm紫铜线为接触电极,在新鲜尸体腹部皮肤上做电烧伤实验。用原子吸收分光光度计对电烧伤皮肤中铜元素含量进行测定。结果表明电烧伤皮肤铜元素含量最高可达137.90μg/g。经10%福尔马林溶液固定40天以上的电烧伤皮肤铜元素含量有昕降低,但仍较正常皮肤含量为高。电烧伤皮肤铜元素含量以电流斑处为最高。本实验为电烧伤皮肤金属元素的定性与定量分析,检材的提取和处理,提供了一个较好的方法,有利于判定案件的性质和确定接触电极的金属种类。     

指甲伤的类型与形成机制研究

目的探讨人体体表指甲伤的分型与形成机制。方法收集法医实际检案资料51例指甲伤434处,借助放大镜对各处伤进行形态特征观察、归类整理。结果指甲伤可分为条状抓擦伤、片状压擦伤和弧状压挫伤/创3种基本类型,分别有168处、153处和113处,其形态特征改变主要与成伤指甲的结构,作用力的大小、方向、作用时间,伤处皮肤的松驰度、Langer线走向,伤后经过时间等因素有关。结论指甲伤的类型和成份机制判断对加害人意图的分析和案件定性有重要作用。     

电警棍致皮肤损伤的实验研究

本研究系用电警棍电击实验动物（猪），观察电击部位的皮肤喷涂金属显色剂后的颜色改变、组织学改变及金属含量的改变。结果表明，电警棍电击机体，不仅可致皮肤产生肉眼可见的损伤，而且可致皮肤细胞产生轻微的极化现象和皮肤金属化，这种金属化可通过金属显色剂喷涂和原子吸收分光光度计检测出来．本实验为电警棍电击伤的定性分析、检材的提取与处理提供了比较好的方法，有利于判定案件的性质和确定电警棍的种类。     

Death by lightning

Deaths from lightning injuries are infrequent, amounting to 0.2-0.8 per million people per year, and are associated with climatologic conditions. The victims are mostly young, active people who are struck during various outdoor activities during the summer months. Even though many people can be struck by the same bolt of lightning, multiple casualties are uncommon. Among the fatalities, various types of skin burns are regularly present, often at an entry site on or near the head, and at an inferiorly located exit site. These skin injuries often consist of superficial burns and singed hair; deep burns and charring are uncommon. Arborescent skin marks seem to occur less frequently. Internal findings at autopsy are nonspecific.     

Human bites and the risk of human immunodeficiency virus transmission.

The risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission following a bite injury is important to many groups of people. The first are those who are likely to be bitten as an occupational risk, such as police officers and institutional staff. Another group are represented by the victims and perpetrators of crimes involving biting, both in attack and defense situations. The possibility of these bites transmitting a potentially fatal disease is of interest to the physicians who treat such patients and the legal system which may have to deal with the repercussions of such a transmission. Bite injuries represent 1% of all emergency department admissions in the United States, and human bites are the third most common following those of dogs and cats. The worldwide epidemic of HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) continues, with >5 million new cases last year and affecting 1 in 100 sexually active adults. A review of the literature concerning human bites, HIV and AIDS, HIV in saliva, and case examples was performed to examine the current opinion regarding the transmission of HIV via this route. A bite from an HIV-seropositive individual that breaks the skin or is associated with a previous injury carries a risk of infection for the bitten individual.     

Signs of Fungal Infection in Dead Mimic the Chronic Torture

The cases of battered woman syndrome (BWS) are very common in India. The majority of the women suffer battering by their family members especially in‐laws. The injuries occurring each time indicate their being battered, but on being questioned about these happenings, a mismatched history being given by them is the major indication of BWS. In many of the cases, the injuries present over the body either in healing stages or in association with skin diseases may mislead the forensic pathologists and investigating agencies. One such rare autopsy was conducted where the healing lesions of the chronic fungal infections were mistaken as the injuries of chronic torture. The case is presented here to remind to the forensic pathologist about the possibility of the signs of chronic fungal infections in dead, which can mimic the torture, and to discuss its medicolegal implications.     

刍议伤残程度评定标准

伤残程度评定在法医鉴定中极为常见,很长时间以来,法医界除“医出多门”、各唱各的调、多重鉴定频出外,还在适应标准的不一致上让受检者无所适从。近两年,在法院系统有了除交通事故适用“道路标准”外,其余损伤均适用“工伤标准”的“要求”。本文就实施该“要求”两年来,在法医临床检案中所遇到的问题,对“工伤标准”及适用“工伤标准”谈了自己的看法,认为“工伤标准”本身还存在很多弊端:一是定残的基点过低;二是同一残级的不同部位伤残及本标准与其它标准同类伤残缺乏均衡比较;三是残级间缺乏连贯性,层次感不强。而让非工伤检案套用“工伤标准”定残、套用“道路标准”赔偿,给部门与部门间及当事者造成了不少麻烦。作者呼吁尽快出台全国通用《人体纠纷损伤致残程度鉴定标准》及配套赔偿办法,并提出了初浅的建议。     

Homicidal manual strangulation and multiple stun-gun injuries.

Stun guns are electric shock devices that are used by a number of law enforcement agencies to subdue violent offenders, but sometimes are discharged into human bodies as offensive weapons. We autopsied a 22-year-old woman who was strangled and had many stun-gun injuries on her head, chest, abdomen, arms, and legs. The stun-gun injuries consisted of many pairs of round erythemas with or without central paleness, some of which were accompanied by circumferential abrasions. To determine whether the electric shocks were administered before or after her death, we studied stun-gun injuries on pigs before and after death and found that the shocks after death did not mark the animal skin. Based on this experiment, all of the stun-gun injuries on the victim's body were concluded to have been inflicted before her death.     

Localization and quantification of histamine in injured skin as parameters for the timing of wounds.

Localization and estimation of the histamine (HA) content in skin wound edges in 86 Sprague-Dawley rats and three cases of human injuries were carried out by a microfluorimetric method specific for this amine which forms a complex with o-phthalaldehyde (OPT). Distribution and density of the mast cells in the same areas were observed at the same time by toluidine blue stain. In all skin specimens with antemortem wounds, both the epidermis and upper dermis exhibit extracellular yellowish fluorescence of the HA-OPT complex. The fluorescent zone spreads in the wound edges with the lapse of time in vital injuries. The HA content increases gradually up to 30 min and then the yellow histamine fluorescence in areas 0-200 microns from the wound edge decreases. None of these features can be observed in normal skin and postmortem-injured skin. Mast cell degranulation can be demonstrated in all antemortem-injured skin. No statistical relationship exists between the number of mast cells and the HA-OPT fluorescence in either ante- or postmortem-injured groups. This study indicates that skin HA microfluorimetry by the OPT method is of practical value for distinguishing ante- from the postmortem wounds and for timing antemortem wounds.     

The Difficulties in Assessing Wounds Created by .410 Bore Ammunition and Weapons

When interpreting firearm injuries, the distinction between gunshot wounds and shotgun wounds is important, and separation of these categories is typically straightforward. However, .410 bore firearms can make the classification difficult. Shotguns and revolvers that can fire the same .410 bore ammunition are readily available. This study investigates the soot and gunpowder deposits and pellet patterning of these two types of weapons using cartridges specially designed for .410 bore revolvers and standard birdshot pellet ammunition. For both ammunition types, the revolver had more prompt pellet dispersion and positive detection of gunpowder at greater distances compared to the shotgun. Additionally, .410 bore slugs are of similar caliber to many common bullets. In comparing the .410 bore slugs to equivalent bullets, some morphologic differences may be imparted on the skin by the slugs, but the greatest insight into the weapon remained with the retained projectiles.     

Diagnostic ability of D-dimer in the establishment of the vitality of wounds

The potential of skin measurements of D-dimer (DD), a specific derivative of crosslinked fibrin, for the diagnosis of the vital origin of wounds was investigated in 67 human vital skin wounds and homolateral control pieces of skin from 53 autopsies performed at the Institute of Legal Medicine of Coimbra (Portugal) during 1992. Our results demonstrate that DD levels for the incised vital skin wounds (n = 50) were much higher on average than their controls (P < 0.01) which were actually incised injuries produced postmortem at the autopsy. We did not find any statistical difference in average DD levels among the remaining injuries (seven abrasions and ten contusions) in comparison to their respective controls. DD may be used, with certain limitations, as a marker of the vitality of incised wounds. The authors believe this is the first time this marker has been applied in forensic pathology. It is an example of an easy and quick application technique, with the added advantage of low cost.     

Forensic-medical aspects of injuries inflicted by nonlethal arms

Special literature (surgical, forensic-medical and criminalistic) is reviewed on classification, mechanisms of a harmful action and characteristics of injuries inflicted by non-lethal arms. Some details of such arms construction and damaging action are given.     

Vital animal predation of the genital region caused by a mongrel dog

A 79-year-old man, who was in a helpless situation due to cardiac decompensation, suffered dog bite injuries on the left thigh and in the genital region while still alive. Two extensive soft-tissue defects with contused and bruised wound edges were surrounded by multiple slit-like skin lesions. The outer genitals were almost completely missing. Because of surgical emergency treatment, molecular biological investigations were no longer possible. Therefore, the cause of the bite injuries had to be determined solely on the basis of the documented morphology of the wounds.     

Effect of History and Context on Forensic Pathologist Interpretation of Photographs of Patterned Injury of the Skin

In a previous study, a survey‐based analysis of pathologist diagnoses of patterned injury was performed. Subjects were provided with photographs of “classic” injuries and asked to diagnose the lesion in the absence of history or context. There was a relatively low diagnostic consensus among respondents. A second survey suggested that the disparate answers were not due to a strong belief in different diagnoses, but instead reflected how the respondents dealt with ambiguity. A third survey was created that asked participants to evaluate patterned injuries of the skin, but provided history and contextual information. The addition of history and contextual information increased consensus from a median of 80% to 98% on a per‐question basis. Confidence increased from a median of 56%–92%. These results demonstrate the importance of history and context in medical diagnosis of patterned injuries of the skin.     

Occupation-specific mode of self injury within the scope of a fictitious assault]

In typical cases self-inflicted injuries in fictitious offences show a characteristic pattern of findings with multiple, uniform, and mostly superficial skin lesions. If the actors possess special experiences, knowledge or instruments--particularly in the field of medicine--the injuries inflicted by themselves may have an appearance whose autoaggressive origin is less obvious. The case of a 43-year-old nurse is reported who was admitted for surgical treatment with two cuts in the abdomen extending into the subcutis; she pretended to have been attacked by 2 masked men who stabbed her for xenophobic motives. In reality she had inflicted the cuts upon herself after applying a local anaesthetic. The necessary equipment (Scandicain, disposable syringes, stitch cutter) was taken from her place of work. Self-inflicted injuries specific to medical professions, as well as fictitious offences with atypical cut- and stab-wounds and the insinuated motives of the alleged offenders are discussed.     

Marks on the human and animal skin after contact with an electrical discharge device

Skin injuries in a subject affected by the current generated in an electrical discharge device are described. The macroscopic and microscopic picture of the injuries inflicted with the use of a similar device in experimental animals is presented.     

Device and methods for the measurement of energy transfer in experiments involving thermal and electrical injuries of skin

This work is part of a larger investigation aiming at tracing differences between injuries caused by heat and electricity. Electrodes and heaters similar to the electrodes of an electric cattle baton are used to dissipate approximately 40 joules in 40 seconds in pig skin.Voltages in the range 40–60 volts (AC or DC) are applied via stainless steel electrodes and temperatures in the range 50–100 °C are applied via heaters made of copper wire. Heat transfer is controlled by electronically regulated heaters utilizing the temperature dependence of the heater wire itself as a thermometer.Transfer of electricity takes place from either commerical DC supply, from transformed voltage from the mains or from a sine voltage generator connected to a power amplifier. The energy transfer is in all cases measured by electronic integration of the dissipated power in time. The power supplied to the electrodes or the heaters is found by electronic multiplication of the applied voltage and current.Typical power vs. time curves are presented.