Confusing wounds of entrance and exit with an unusual weapon

A case of suicide where the victim used a four-barreled, concealable weapon firing 0.357 magnum ammunition is presented. Because of the extreme "blow back" effect caused by such a weapon, the direction of fire and manner of death were, at first, interpreted incorrectly by investigators.     

Self-impalement after thoracic stab wound. An unusual method of suicide in psychotic symptomatology

A 35 year-old male was found dead within a vast collection of garbage in his parent's house with 13 stab wounds of the thorax. 6 years before death he had suffered from a severe cerebral trauma with intracranial hemorrhage, after which an organic psychosis had ensued. At autopsy besides the stab wounds measuring 1-3.5 cm in length and partly exhibiting a so-called "fish-tail" formation a piece of wood was detected, having penetrated the fourth intercostal space along the sternal border and lacerated the pericardium, right pulmonary hilum and the pleura parietalis at the paravertebral line between the eight and ninth rib. There the leading part of the tool had apparently broken and bent to the left in a nearly 90 degrees angle, thus penetrating the left pleural cavity with a slight laceration of the lower lobe of the lung. From the forensic pathologist's point of view this case of multiple stabbing and additional impalement was at least remarkable and at first sight might have raised a suspicion of homicide due to the extent of the rib penetrations and especially the intrusion of the wooden device, which had been pushed by substantial force into an already existing wound. The police presupposed a suicide based on the personal history and situation at the site, where no traces suggesting an activity of somebody else could be ascertained. Reconstruction of the case and resulting differential diagnostic considerations are to be discussed.     

An unusual case of random fire-setting behavior associated with lacunar stroke

A case of a 47-year-old man with a sudden onset of a bizarre and random fire-setting behavior is reported. The man, who had been arrested on felony arson charges, complained of difficulties concentrating and of recent memory impairment. Axial T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging showed a low intensity lacunar lesion in the genu and anterior limb of the left internal capsule. A neuropsychological test battery revealed lower than normal scores for executive functions, attention and memory, consistent with frontal lobe dysfunction. The recent onset of fire-setting behavior and the chronic nature of the lacunar lesion, together with an unremarkable performance on tests measuring executive functions two years prior, suggested a causal relationship between this organic brain lesion and the fire-setting behavior. The present case describes a rare and as yet unreported association between random impulse-driven fire-setting behavior and damage to the left internal capsule and suggests a disconnection of frontal lobe structures as a possible pathogenic mechanism.     

An unusual penetrating head wound by a yard broom and its medicolegal aspects

A fatal case of a homicidal penetrating head injury by a blunt object (yard broom) is described. A piece of wood penetrated the skull and remained in the intracranial cavity resulting in infection. The need of careful examination of the head injury is emphasized.     

近距离枪弹创身入口残留物的能谱测定

对１４例近距离人体枪弹创射入口的创周皮肤和创道内组织分别作了能谱测定，结果发现，创周皮肤和创道内组织上的金属成份有着异，而与异物颗粒形态无关，创道内主要为弹头成份，创周为火药成份。     

A case of external beveling with an entrance gunshot wound to the skull made by a small caliber rifle bullet.

The external beveling caused by an entrance gunshot wound to the skull has not been completely explained, but the mechanism is probably a combination of several factors including the angle of shot, twisting force of a rotating bullet, blow-back effect, velocity, shape and size of the bullet, outspread of the kinetic energy from the bullet, and resistance of the skull.     

An unusual case of pseudo rape.

A case has been reported which adds a new and unusual dimension to false rape allegation and gives a heretofore unknown motive for a woman to claim a bogus rape. A female newspaper reporter entered a hospital, stated falsely that she had been sexually assaulted, allowed herself to be interviewed and then examined by the author, and accepted and took medication, all because she wanted to "find out how a rape victim is treated at the new Rape Center and I was pretending to be a rape victim." Rape center workers must be alert to spurious claims of unprincipled and deceitful women.     

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。     

Traumatic transection. An unusual fatal pedestrian injury.

Speed, alcohol, and pedestrian injuries constitute disturbing components of the spectrum of trauma in the developing world. The complete fatal transection of a pedestrian, at the level of the lower abdomen, by an oncoming automobile traveling at high speed is described. The upper torso was found inside the vehicle, whereas the lower torso was projected some distance ahead, onto the highway. An accident analysis, in order to ascertain the speed of the automobile, is demonstrated and the biodynamic mechanisms of this injury are discussed. The nature of this injury is compared with that of traumatic hemipelvectomy following which survival has been reported.     

An unusual homicide case with subsequent suicide

In the medicolegal literature reports on homicides followed by suicide, especially in elderly people, are rare. In the present case, the victim, a 79-year-old woman, showed a rather unusual injury pattern: 3 gunshots to the head (with only 2 entrance wounds and 3 intracranial projectiles) and 2 stabs from a knife. The tools used for inflicting the stab wounds (a hunting knife and a double-edged dagger) were left in the victim's body after the offense. The 89-year-old husband hanged himself with an aerial cable after killing his wife. The police investigations and the autopsy findings suggested a combined homicide-suicide. The motive for the offense could be a so-called delusion of poverty associated with symptoms of depression.     

An unusual accidental death from reverse suspension.

Deaths involving prolonged suspension head downwards have received little or no attention in the English-language literature, doubtless because they are extremely rare. An example, involving alcoholic intoxication as the sole complicating factor, is reported. The mechanism of death is also considered since this is plainly a subject of some interest and likely to provoke further thought and discussion.     

Dental anesthetic death. An unusual autoerotic episode

The details of an unusual autoerotic death are presented; the postulated method of induction of cerebral hypoxia was inhalation of nitrous oxide from a dental anesthetic machine; the theme of dental anesthesia, presumably an elaborate bondage fetish, recurred in documentary material found at the scene.     

An unusual case of fatal gas embolism.

We describe an unusual case of fatal gas embolism, in which a man died by connecting an extension tube supplying oxygen to an indwelling catheter that was inserted into the left cephalic vein.     

Gunshot entrance wound abrasion ring width as a function of projectile diameter and velocity

The relationships between gunshot entrance wound abrasion ring widths versus projectile diameter and velocity, using foam-backed deer hides as targets, were investigated. At a fixed velocity, abrasion ring width increased with increasing projectile diameter but decreased in proportion to the central defect diameter. For fixed-diameter projectiles, very slow and high velocities produced minimal abrasion width. Maximal abrasion width occurred at intermediate velocities. The authors postulate that abrasion width is a function of the ratio of projectile velocity and the maximum deformation velocity of the target skin. The largest abrasion width occurs when the ratio is one. Using a projectile velocity known to produce maximum abrasion width at an initial warm temperature, then decreasing the target deformation velocity by cooling, produced the expected results of decreasing abrasion width.     

An unusual case of suicide by stabbing with a falling weighted dagger.

An unusual suicide by self-stabbing is presented. A 42-year-old man committed suicide with a dagger weighted with 2.72 kg in total and allowed to fall freely. The blade of the dagger fell from a height of 10 cm above the chest, penetrated the second left intercostal skin and pierced the upper lobe of the left lung. However, the weapon did not penetrate the chest skin from a stationary position in our trial at the autopsy. This finding confirms the results of experiments with stab wound dynamics which demonstrated that the impact velocity of the weapon as well as the sharpness of the tip is important for skin penetration.