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.     

Possibilities of spectral investigations of injuries inflicted by special arms

Quantitative characteristics and application of different spectral methods are compared in experiment. Stab and gunshot wounds were studied by roentgenospectral fluorescent and emission spectral analyses. The above spectral methods detected significant quantities of alien material on the wounds depending on the kind of the weapon.     

Characteristic of injuries inflicted by a blank gunshot

The analysis of the data published in the special literature indicates that forensic-medical aspects of the injuries inflicted by blank shots fired from a variety of small-arms weapons remain poorly known or virtually unexplored. Despite considerable variability of such injuries, their forensic-medical examination should include three basic components, viz. the proof of the absence of the injurious action of the shot, differential diagnostics of the consequences of injuries attributable to each traumatic factor of the shot, and experimental simulation of the damages to the human body and the clothes taking into account concrete models of the weapons and the blank cartridge.     

Gunshot injury caused by a training bullet]

In the course of a scuffle a 50-year old man has been shot by a revolver. The culprit and witnesses state, there has been only one shot, whereas the victim declared having been shot twice. The medico-legal investigation revealed a gunshot wound that passed through the left thigh, a grazing shot of the right hand and a superficial lesion of the skin at the forehead with sprinkled gunshot residue in the epidermis. The investigation confirmed the statement of the victim: the first shot to the forehead was caused by a plastic training cartridge, the second to the right hand and thigh by a cartridge loaded with an ordinary bullet.     

Contact shot from infantry weapons with a flash-suppressor

The number of reports on contact shots from firearms with a flash suppressor attached to the muzzle is small. On the basis of a case report (suicidal shot to the forehead with a Kalschnikow AKMS 47 assault rifle) the morphological peculiarities (characteristics soot pattern, relatively small powder cavity and only minor skin tears in the presence of a bony support) are presented and the conclusions to be drawn from the findings regarding the flash-suppressor, the shot distance, the angle of the shot and the way of holding the weapon are discussed.     

Evaluation of injuries features inflicted by shots from gas guns by emission spectral analysis

The authors describe a methodological approach to emission spectral analysis of material evidences aimed at evaluating the regularities of deposition of the shot metals at the site of injuries inflicted by gas guns. Injuries inflicted by gunshots with chemical cartridges and with shot cartridges, with and without obstructions, from different distances have been examined. The detected regularities may be useful in forensic medical expert evaluations by means of emission spectral analysis in cases with gas gunshots.     

The specificity of injuries inflicted by shots made from remade and self-made guns with silencers

Discussed in the paper is a complex forensic medical evaluation of injuries inflicted by shots made from a variety of hand guns with silencers. An experimental study denoted the specificity of close-distance entry wounds at shots made from remade or self-made guns with silencers; the quantitative and qualitative differential diagnostics was possible in such cases.     

A complex study of damages inflicted by traumatic shots from the unstem gun PB-4

Possibilities of a complex study of the damage to the body and clothes caused by shots from non-lethal arms (unstem gun PB-4 from a complex Osa) are illustrated by real expert tasks from forensic medical practice. A combination of experimental shots with emission spectral analysis of the objects of the study and targets is validated for determination of the patron characteristics and composition as well as shooting diastance.     

A study of multiple bitemarks inflicted in human skin by a single dentition using geometric morphometric analysis

Criticisms of the forensic discipline of bitemark analysis state that the range of distortion in the shape of bitemark impressions in skin has not been scientifically established. No systematic statistical studies exist that explore this problem. As a preliminary investigation of this issue, a single dentition was mounted in a mechanical apparatus and used to create 89 bitemarks in human cadaver skin, both parallel and perpendicular to tension lines. Impressions of the same dentition were also created in wax. 2D scanned images of the biting dentition were obtained. Locations of incisal edges of all 6 anterior teeth as well as the midpoint of the canine were captured as landmarks in all specimens. This set of landmark data was then studied using established geometric morphometric methods. All specimen shapes were compared using Procrustes superimposition methods, and by a variation of Procrustes superimposition which preserves scale information. Match criteria were established by examining the range of variation produced by repeated measurements of the dentition for each class of specimen. The bitemarks were also compared to a population of 411 digitally scanned dentitions, again using the match criteria. Results showed that bitemarks in wax had lower measurement error than scanned images of the dentition, and both were substantially lower than measurement error as recorded in skin. None of the 89 bitemarks matched the measured shape of the biting dentition or bitemarks in wax, within the repeated measurements error level, despite the fact that all bitemarks were produced by this dentition. Comparison of the bitemarks to the collection of 411 dentitions showed that the closest match to the bitemarks was not always the same dentition that produced the bitemarks. Examination of Procrustes plots of matched shapes showed non-overlapping distributions of measurements of bitemarks in skin, wax, and the dentition. All had statistically significant differences in mean shape. Principal component analysis (PCA) and canonical variates analysis (CVA) both showed clear segregation of the three types of data. The patterns of variance revealed by PCA showed several distinct patterns produced by skin distortion; alteration of relative arch width, and varying displacement of non-aligned teeth in the dentition. These initial results indicate that when multiple suspects possess similar dentitions, bitemark analysis should be approached with caution.     

Use of a pig model to demonstrate vulnerability of major neck vessels to inflicted trauma from common household items

Commonly available items including a ball point pen, a plastic knife, a broken wine bottle, and a broken wine glass were used to inflict stab and incised wounds to the necks of 3 previously euthanized Large White pigs. With relative ease, these items could be inserted into the necks of the pigs next to the jugular veins and carotid arteries. Despite precautions against the carrying of metal objects such as knives and nail files on board domestic and international flights, objects are still available within aircraft cabins that could be used to inflict serious and potentially life-threatening injuries. If airport and aircraft security measures are to be consistently applied, then consideration should be given to removing items such as glass bottles and glass drinking vessels. However, given the results of a relatively uncomplicated modification of a plastic knife, it may not be possible to remove all dangerous objects from aircraft. Security systems may therefore need to focus on measures such as increased surveillance of passenger behavior, rather than on attempting to eliminate every object that may serve as a potential weapon.     

Mechanogenesis and morphology of a closed trauma of the liver inflicted by blunt hard objects (mathematical estimation)

A retrospective analysis was made on traumas associated with hepatic injury. Signs-lesions in different kinds of trauma are characterized. A mathematic probabilistic method for differential diagnosis of a traumatic impact by hepatic lesion was applied. The findings can be used in conduction of forensic-medical examinations for the kind and mechanism of trauma.     

The determination of the distance of a shot from a smooth-bore weapon based on the damages from the action of the wad containers

Experimental shots from a No. 16 calibre single-barrelled gun using commercial cartridges in the plastic cartridge cases supplied by wad containers with Nos. 1 and 2 shots revealed that lesions that had typical morphologic structure which were characteristic of wad container action were produced at close distances (less than 2 meters). Therefore preliminary experimental shots are necessary before making concrete decisions on characteristic features of an injuring projectile and shot distance.     

Characteristic of the damage caused to the clothes from woven fabric by a tiger's bite

The tiger's teeth have been identified that may be of diagnostic value for the purpose of trace evidence analysis. The morphological features of the damage caused to the clothes from woven fabric by the tiger's bite are described. The knowledge of these features facilitates differential diagnostics between such damage and that inflicted by other blunt and sharp objects.     

Bullet identification: a case of a fatal hunting accident resolved by comparison of lead shot using instrumental neutron activation analysis.

Bullet identification by chemical analysis often provides a powerful clue in forensic science. A case is reported in which a hunting accident was resolved by using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) for direct comparison of the trace element content in lead shot. Different preparation batches of lead shot appear to have a high within-group composition homogeneity, and good differentiation is achieved between different batches. Determination of the nickel and antimony content on a bush branch demonstrated that the branch had been perforated by one of the shot pellets, and this helped the detectives in reconstruction of the crime scene.     

Assessment of accumulation of the shot products on the targets in shooting from a short-barreled gun with a muffler for estimation of shooting distance

A practical expert task--to estimate shot distance and order of shots made in two victims from a gun with muffler--is described as illustration of opportunities of the complex investigation with experimental shots and emission spectral analysis of the targets. Distribution of the shot soot on the targets in shooting from the distance up to 1 m is analyzed.     

Lessons from Germany: some reflections occasioned by Schulenburg's "report"

Germany created the first national health insurance scheme, and its turbulent history has carried many lessons for all other countries. Health care financing--like all social security financing--redistributes wealth and inevitably is caught up in class politics. Cost-sharing by patients is not a neutral device in social engineering to improve efficiency, but it is a gambit in distributive politics. Health care involves the wealth and power of the doctors, and they become militant and successful forces in social politics. The forces for higher spending are stronger than the forces for restraint. Only exceptional political will be government can control costs.     

Formation of epidermal damage at entry by gunshot with a contact weapon

Examination of contact bullet wounds shows the patterned inprint of the muzzle on the skin ("stanzmark") and further ragged structures around the periphery to be the remainders of the abraded epithelium. Usually these are turned outwards and from arch-shaped intraepithelial recesses, which contain residual amounts of propellant. The damage and soiling around the point of entry are the result of two factors in combination: the combustion gases and the gases escaping between the skin surface and the front of the barrel. This leads to different amounts of skin abrasion dependent on the amount and pressure of the gases. In this way, the frequently seen difference in size and shape of the stanzmark and the muzzle front can be explained.