The morphology of the gunshot entry wound

The main signs of inlet gunshot wound inflicted from non-close shot distance are the following: central defect of the tissue, presence of abrasion and rub zones along the margins. During experimental study high variability of these signs was stated and new morphologic characteristics of inlet gunshot wound were detected.     

Comparison of wound morphology following gunshots by machine guns and sub-machine guns

Automatic weapons such as machine guns and submachine guns are found in the German-speaking region only in special army and police units and appear accordingly rarely in homicides, suicides and accidents. In the following, the findings in two cases of death with the use of machine and submachine guns are presented. The first case was a fatal accident during shooting on a training area (current machine gun of the German army, calibre 7.62 x 51 mm), the second case was a killing during a physical conflict (submachine gun MP 40 from World War II, calibre 9 x 19 mm). In the case with the machine gun autopsy disclosed typical entry holes corresponding to the calibre, but unusually large exit wounds with tissue bridges in the wound ground, measuring 4 x 2.5 cm in diameter. By contrast, the second case (submachine gun) showed "normal" entry and exit wounds. The differences are mainly caused by deviating ballistic data of the ammunition used. They are discussed against the background of literature on wound ballistics.     

Dermal surface morphology in wound healing. An experimental scanning electron microscope study

The authors observed, with a scanning electron microscope, the dermal surfaces of experimental wounds, following the enzymatic digestion with trypsin of the dermo-epidermal junction. Cut lesions showed an early reconstitution of the basement membrane and progressive convergence of the margins. A peculiar arrangement of the dermal crests was also observed. In wounds with loss of substance, the complete coating by newly formed basement membrane took longer. There was an early deformation of the holes of hair follicles in the undamaged dermis surrounding the lesion, as well as the appearance of creases that moved toward the center. This process was over within a few days; then the lesion became very small and the holes of the hair follicles reappeared. The results suggest a force of traction bound toward the center of the lesion and acting on the surface, the effects of which on the basement membrane are most evident between the eighth and the 15th days.     

Unusual wound morphology after textile penetration by the automatic rifle (StG) 58. A case report

Technical characteristics of the used fire-arm and ammunition, the firing range and the shot through garments of the victim are essential factors, that exercise an influence on the appearance of gunshot injuries. An exemplary case-report shall emphasize the importance of these factors. It deals with a suicidal double-shot fired from an automatic rifle by a young soldier. The wounds were localized in the left chest region and the adjacent skin was blackened by soot in a remarkable geometrical pattern, although an ammunition with a smokeless charge has been used. By means of comparative shots we have good reasons to suppose this phenomenon to be caused by rests of gun powder and pressure of the explosion gas leaved in the barrel after the first shot. The second projectile pushed out this explosion gas to the skin that had been uncovered in a star-shaped way by the first shot.     

记名提单的原则与实践

在阐明记名提单的概念以及与海运单相比较的基础上,对于《海牙-维斯比规则》是否适用记名提单的问题进行了论述,同时分析了主要航运国家针对记名提单下货物交付的不同态度,并向实务界提出建议。     

Injuries caused by home-made explosives

Eighty-six cases of injuries caused by home-made unconventional explosives were studied. The use of this type of explosive is common in India, Sri Lanka and other Eastern countries. Injuries are due to the blast effect, shrapnel and flash. The blast effect is seen only when the explosion occurs at close range. Accidental injuries to handlers and manufacturers conform to a particular pattern.     

Incised wound margins caused by steel blades. Scanning electron microscopy to determine wound direction

The aim of this paper has been to check the diagnostic ability of Scanning Electron Microscopy (S.E.M.) to determine wound direction. We have studied incised wound margins caused by steel blades in human skin samples from cadavers by S.E.M. It was found that a lateral accessory tail existed in 65% of the entrance edges. This finding was recorded in all the cases when wound direction was perpendicular to Lancer's lines of the skin area in which the wound was located. No similar finding in the exit tails was noticed. The depth and length of the wound margins was less accurate an index of the wound direction than a lateral accessory tail. We think that this finding could be useful in determining the entrance margin in incised wounds.     

9mm警用转轮手枪橡胶弹射入口的形态特征

目的观察橡胶弹射人口的形态特征,并探讨其法医学意义。方法使用9mm警用转轮手枪发射橡胶弹,在实验动物胸腹部侧面垂直射击,射击距离分别为紧密接触射击（0cm）,相对接触射击（1～6cm）,近距离射击（6-60cm）和远距离射击（60cm～有效射程25m）。92式手枪采取相同方式射击实验动物作为对照。观察射入口的形态特征,制作组织病理学切片,HE染色显微镜下观察。结果橡胶弹接触射击和近距离射击,射入口边缘整齐,有明显的擦拭轮、挫伤轮和火药斑纹;远距离射击,可见射人口边缘撕裂,挫伤轮明显增宽,皮下出血显著;与手枪弹射入口形态特征明显不同。结论9mm警用转轮手枪橡胶弹射入口典型的形态特征,可作为此类损伤的诊断指标。     

乘非碰撞公共汽车所致损伤的研究

目的探讨非碰撞公共汽车所致损伤的机理及特点.方法对34例于1990-2004年间在华西医科大学法医学院鉴定的案例进行回顾性的调查,所有研究对象均为乘非碰撞公共汽车时所受损伤患者.结果伤者以女性老年人为主,受伤时多处于座位,其损伤分布依次为脊柱、头部、四肢,损伤机理以减速或加速居多.结论根据其受伤特征,提出相应的预防措施.     

乘非碰撞公共汽车所致损伤的研究

目的探讨非碰撞公共汽车所致损伤的机理及特点.方法对34例于1990-2004年间在华西医科大学法医学院鉴定的案例进行回顾性的调查,所有研究对象均为乘非碰撞公共汽车时所受损伤患者.结果伤者以女性老年人为主,受伤时多处于座位,其损伤分布依次为脊柱、头部、四肢,损伤机理以减速或加速居多.结论根据其受伤特征,提出相应的预防措施.     

Tumbling abrasions. Injuries from ricocheting bullets

Atypical entrance gunshot wounds may be produced by deflected or ricocheting bullets. One special type of atypical entrance wound involves abrasion of the skin at a site that is remote from the point of dermal penetration. These remote abrasions, termed "tumbling abrasions," are produced by bullets that tumble after impact with an intermediate target. Three cases of tumbling abrasions are presented.     

'Morphological imprint': determination of the injury-causing weapon from the wound morphology using forensic 3D/CAD-supported photogrammetry

Forensic three-dimensional/computer aided design (CAD)-supported photogrammetry (FPHG) plays an important role in the field of the documentation of forensic relevant injuries; particularly so when a detailed, 3D reconstruction is necessary. This is demonstrated in the case of a patterned blunt injury to the face of a victim, which injury was subsequently proven by FPHG to have been caused by a blow from the muzzle of a soft air gun.The objects to be evaluated had to be series photographed in order to be evaluated virtually on the computer. These photo series were then analyzed with the RolleiMetric system. This system measures and calculates the spatial location of distinctive points on the objects' surfaces, and creates 3D data models of the objects. In a 3D/CAD program, the "virtual 3D model of the injury" is then compared against the "virtual 3D model of the possible injury-causing instrument".The validation of FPHG, as shown by the 3D match between certain characteristics of the muzzle form and the facial injury, demonstrates how this 3D method can be used for patterned wound documentation and analysis.     

Health care financing among the elderly: who really pays the bills?

This paper investigates the issue of who pays the health care bills of the elderly by considering the types of subsidized health insurance protection enjoyed by the noninstitutionalized elderly and the way that increased Medicare cost-sharing efforts in the 1980s are affecting those without additional health insurance subsidies. In making this examination we estimate the out-of-pocket health care expenditures of the elderly either directly or as nonsubsidized medigap premiums by income level, taking into account four types of health insurance subsidies received by elderly persons: Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Administration health care, and subsidized health insurance from either current or former employers. We find that increased cost sharing is likely to fall most heavily on those elderly least likely to afford it: the poor and near-poor elderly who have only Medicare as a health insurance subsidy, particularly those who are older and sicker and who use Medicare services more heavily. These persons are caught between well-intentioned federal cost-cutting efforts and the often confusing panoply of health insurance programs for the aged, and they will bear an inequitably large portion of any future Medicare cost-sharing initiatives.     

Computational Approach to Identify Different Injuries by Firearms

Complications arise in the analysis of gunshot wounds to the maxillofacial region, when neither the projectile nor the gun is found at the crime scene. We simulated 5‐ and 15‐cm firing distances at a human mandible to investigate the external morphology of entrance wounds based on fire range. The ammunition models, .40‐caliber S&W, .380‐caliber, and 9 × 19‐mm Luger, were constructed with free‐form NURBS surfaces. In a dynamic simulation, projectiles were fired against mandibular body 3D model at 5 and 15 cm. All entrance wounds presented oval aspect. Maximum diameter and von Mises stress values were 16.5 mm and 50.8 MPa, both for .40‐caliber S&W fired at 5 cm. The maximum energy loss was 138.4 J for .40 S&W fired at 15 cm. In conclusion, the mandible was most affected by .40‐caliber S&W and morphological differences were observable in holes caused by different incoming projectile calibers fired at different distances.