Posttraumatic stress disorder in a World War II concentration camp survivor caused by the attack of two German shepherd dogs: case report and review of the literature

A 79-year-old woman suffered from acute posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a loco typico, non-displaced fracture of her right distal radius due to an incident involving the assault of two unleashed owned dogs, which suddenly ran into her and aggressively jumped on her chest and knocked her down to the ground. Recovery for her damage claim concerning pain and disability due to her right forearm fracture caused by the incident, was not the issue in the litigation concerned. However, the issue of delayed impact of her previous Holocaust experience placed a significant challenge on M.N., as a plaintiff, in establishing a causal link between the posttraumatic stress disorder concerned and the alleged harmful action of the defendants, the owners of the two dogs. The case reported here proved interesting and instructive not only in the sense of addressing main issues relevant to litigation for psychological damage related to reactivated PTSD and delayed PTSD, but also in the sense of pointing at the clinical relevance of dog assaults on humans which, even without dog bite injuries, may result in a severe traumatization and eventual civil lawsuit.     

Cervical soft tissue emphysema in hanging--a prospective autopsy study

The underlying mechanism of cervical soft tissue emphysema (CSTE) in hanging remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of CSTE in cases of hanging. The sample included 83 deceased persons, average age 55.3 ± 17.9 years. CSTE was established in 44 cases. CSTE is presented as frothy air, soap bubble-like formations in superficial and/or deep connective tissue between the neck muscles up to the ligature mark, visible during gross neck examination, using special neck autopsy technique-preparation of the neck organs in layers. The interpretation of positive CSTE must be taken with caution: it could be an antemortem phenomenon possibly because of either Macklin Effect or direct or indirect trauma to the cervical airways, as well as an ante- or postmortem artifact.     

The Territorial Scope of Employment Legislation and Choice of Law

Traditionally, the determination of the territorial scope of the statutory rights conferred by employment legislation forming part of English law has been regarded as an issue entirely disconnected from the choice‐of‐law process. Indeed, this view formed the basis of the key decision addressing the problem of territoriality, Lawson v Serco, decided by the House of Lords in 2006. After presenting the current state of the law with regard to the territorial scope of employment legislation, this article takes a critical look at Lawson v Serco. It is argued that the ‘European’ choice‐of‐law rules must have a greater importance for determining the territorial scope of employment legislation and, consequently, that the approach pursued in Lawson v Serco is no longer correct, if it ever was, and should not be followed in the future.     

Advancing institutional anomie theory: a microlevel examination connecting culture, institutions, and deviance

Institutional anomie theory (IAT) contends that crime can be explained by an examination of American society, particularly the exaggerated emphasis on economic success inherent in American culture, which has created a "cheating orientation" that permeates structural institutions, including academia. Consistent with its macrosocial perspective, previous tests of IAT have examined IAT variables at the structural level only. The current study tests the robustness of IAT by operationalizing IAT variables at the individual level and looking at a minor form of deviance, student cheating. The author also examines the role statistical modeling has in testing the theory at the microlevel. Undergraduates, 122 American born and 48 international, were surveyed about their cheating behaviors and adherence to economic goal orientations. Results related to the hypothesis that American students, relative to foreign-born students, will have an increased adherence to economic goal orientations that increase cheating behaviors are presented, as are suggestions for future studies.     

Anthropological data in individualization of skeletal remains from a forensic context in Kosovo--a case history

There are many reports relating to victims and mass graves in the former Yugoslavia. They emphasize the importance of creating local skeletal identification standards. In this paper we deal with the first mass grave examined since the Kosovo crisis started and discuss problems regarding the identification process, especially the coincidence of antemortem with postmortem data. Twelve persons out of 39 bodies were identified using interviews with relatives and correspondence of biological data with personal effects and/or documents. Previous pathology was of crucial importance in the identification of three persons.