History of forensic serology and molecular genetics in the sphere of activity of the German Society for Forensic Medicine

In the field of forensic serology, essential developmental impulses have come from the sphere of activity of the German Society for Forensic Medicine. Among these are the orientating enzyme-reactive and specific tests for blood using crystallization tests, the determination of the species-specificity of the donor of the stain and the beginning of the individualization of a stain to its donor. Pioneering work has also been done in the development of blood group serology of the conventional markers. DNA analysis originated in the Anglo-Saxon region. The German Society for Forensic Medicine also contributed to its further progress and essentially influenced it e.g. by the discovery of microsatellite markers, including STRs, by the validation of numerous test methods, by optimization of these methods and by preliminary work for the use of mass spectrometry in DNA analysis.     

Forensic medicine in the German Democratic Republic

Forensic medicine services were resumed in the territory of the Soviet occupation zone in early summer 1945. One coherent legal system was established, following the foundation of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), 7 October 1949. Forensic medicine was subject of teaching and examinations from the very outset. Sub-specialisation (fellowship) was introduced in 1955. The Gesellschaft für Gerichtliche Medizin der DDR (GDR Society of Forensic Medicine) was established in 1967 and began to organise with high continuity a wide-ranging variety of scientific events. Almost all administrative districts had their own institute of forensic medicine by 1990.     

Paolo Zacchia--the father of forensic medicine, 400 years after his birth

This article was the historical introductory lecture in the opening session of the Annual Meeting of the Polish Society of Forensic Medicine and Criminology held on 20 September 1984, in Katowice. Paolo Zacchia (1584-1659) was one of the fathers of forensic medicine and social hygiene, which were combined in his time. His work Quaestiones medico-legales is well known internationally.     

Portraits of some founders of the German Society of Legal Medicine

In the preceding paper by W. Krauland the foundation of the German Society of Legal Medicine, which took place at the 76th meeting of the German Naturalists and Physicians in Breslau, 1904, was described in detail. Carl Ipsen, Julius Kratter, Adolf Lesser, Georg Puppe, Emil Ungar and Fritz Strassmann were chosen as the preliminary board of the Society. They were respected scientists in their field, working at different universities in Germany and Austria. Life and scientific work of these founders of the German Society of Legal Medicine shall be described in short portraits.     

On the prehistory of the German Society of Legal Medicine

The paper gives a review on the foundation of local associations of legal medicine and their journals at the beginning and in the mid of the 19th century in Germany before the German Society of Legal Medicine was founded.     

The history of forensic medicine in times of the Weimar republic and national socialism--an approach

German Forensic Medicine established the tasks and aims of forensic medicine during the period of the "Weimar Republic" (1919-1933). Since 1925, forensic medicine is part of the medical examination regulation. In times of the 3rd Reich (1933-1945), most of forensic pathologists were influenced by and involved in National Socialism. The special subject of forensic medicine was endangered by the absence of political neutral forensic pathologists.     

DNA commission of the International Society of Forensic Genetics: Recommendations on the interpretation of mixtures

The DNA commission of the International Society of Forensic Genetics (ISFG) was convened at the 21st congress of the International Society for Forensic Genetics held between 13 and 17 September in the Azores, Portugal. The purpose of the group was to agree on guidelines to encourage best practice that can be universally applied to assist with mixture interpretation. In addition the commission was tasked to provide guidance on low copy number (LCN) reporting. Our discussions have highlighted a significant need for continuing education and research into this area. We have attempted to present a consensus from experts but to be practical we do not claim to have conveyed a clear vision in every respect in this difficult subject. For this reason, we propose to allow a period of time for feedback and reflection by the scientific community. Then the DNA commission will meet again to consider further recommendations.     

DNA commission of the International Society of Forensic Genetics: Recommendations on the interpretation of mixtures

The DNA commission of the International Society of Forensic Genetics (ISFG) was convened at the 21st congress of the International Society for Forensic Genetics held between 13 and 17 September in the Azores, Portugal. The purpose of the group was to agree on guidelines to encourage best practice that can be universally applied to assist with mixture interpretation. In addition the commission was tasked to provide guidance on low copy number (LCN) reporting. Our discussions have highlighted a significant need for continuing education and research into this area. We have attempted to present a consensus from experts but to be practical we do not claim to have conveyed a clear vision in every respect in this difficult subject. For this reason, we propose to allow a period of time for feedback and reflection by the scientific community. Then the DNA commission will meet again to consider further recommendations.     

The history of forensic medicine in Hungary

The XIIIth Congress of the International Academy of Forensic and Social Medicine will be held in September 1985, in Budapest, and for this occasion we gave a brief account of the past and present state of forensic medicine in Hungary.     

Some Journal Metrics for Forensic Science International: Genetics

Forensic Science International: Genetics, which is the official journal of the International Society for Forensic Genetics, has grown in readership and impact factor since its introduction in 2007. This article reviews some metrics of the 32 issues available as of September 2013.     

规范司法鉴定程序，完善司法鉴定制度——浅析《司法鉴定程序通则》制定及其相关内容

为了深入贯彻全国人大常委会《关于司法鉴定管理问题的决定》(以下简称《决定》),为了进一步规范司法鉴定活动,新制定的《司法鉴定程序通则》(以下简称《通则》)自2007年10月1日起施行。这是继2005年9月30日公布的《司法鉴定机构登记管理办法》和《司法鉴定人登记管理办法》颁布实施后,司法部出台的有关司法鉴定管理的又一个与人大《决定》相配套的重要规章。结合工作实践和思考,就新版《通则》及其相关内容作一简要分析。     

Homicide in the elderly. A study of homicide in the aged based on an Aachen autopsy sample of the 10-year period 1976-1985

Investigations on the peculiarities of homicides of the elderly are missing in the German literature up to the present date. Therefore we undertook an evaluation of the case files collected at the Aachen Institute of Forensic Medicine from the ten-year-period 1976-1985. Among 3736 autopsies we found 183 cases of homicide with 35 victims of 60 years and older. We collected peculiarities of modus operandi related to victim, suspect and offence and compared the data with such from police criminal statistics and partially with German population statistics. Two types of homicide of the elderly can be differentiated: One is independent of the victim's age whereas the other exploits the living conditions in the higher age (living alone, socially isolated, ailing, helpless etc.) For these latter cases the name "Gerontocide" is proposed. The paper deals with the peculiar difficulties of criminal investigation and clarification in such cases, resulting on the one hand from the lack of suspicion if elderly people die, on the other hand from the more difficult detection of causal relationship between offence and death--especially in the presence of severe illness of the victim.     

基于Citespace的法医临床学研究发展历程分析

目的运用Citespace软件对法医临床学相关文献绘制知识图谱、进行可视化分析,探究该学科领域研究热点和动态发展,梳理鉴定难点脉络。方法汇总CNKI收录《中国法医学杂志》《刑事技术》《法医学杂志》《中国司法鉴定》刊登的法医临床学相关论文,利用Citespace分析其关键词、研究热点、基金资助、作者、发文机构及所在地等。结果法医临床学作为法医学分支学科之一,近年来呈现的科研成果部分获基金资助,多由开设法医学专业的院校完成;随着科研理论、技术方法推陈出新,法医临床学鉴定标准、版本也得以构建、更迭、完善,鉴定体量位居法医"四大类"之首。结论作为最具中国特色的法医学分支学科,法医临床学研究着重服务司法实践、以期用成果技术反哺鉴定,实现学术、实践的交流、转化。通过Citespace知识图谱可视化分析学科发展历程,有助于回溯此间规律,提示未来研究方向,提升鉴定业务水平,为持续增强法医临床学学科影响力提供借鉴。     

Traumatic heart rupture or infarct?

The movie genre "snuff" appeared in the late 70s and shows the allegedly real, often cruel killing of people. More recently, a growing number of short video clips have been distributed via the internet, which also belong into this category and were clearly recognized as fictional on the basis of technical details by two study groups at the 80th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Legal Medicine held in Interlaken from 25 to 29 September 2001 (Schyma/Seidl). By means of a brief review of film history the article shows that "snuff movies" originated from a certain prevailing trend, examples of which are the murder of the actress Sharon Tate by the group around Charles Manson, the development of B horror movies, a promotional campaign for a film which flopped in 1971 (renamed several times by the distribution company from "American Cannibal" to "Snuff" to "Big Snuff") and elements of urban legends. Retrospectively there are no clues that Snuff films--i.e. movies openly distributed and actually available to the public, which were not private documentations found by the police at the homes of killers during investigations of homicides (such as in the murder series of the couple Bernardo/Homolka)--show real killings.     

国外法医临床学发展史

法医临床学是法医学的重要分支学科,正处于蓬勃发展阶段。研究法医临床学的发展史,对明确其定义和实践范畴,维护司法公正,具有重要意义。本文将从“简介、历史溯源、18世纪之后的法医临床学发展、现代法医临床学、世界法医临床学司法实践现状和结语”六个部分介绍法医临床学在国外,尤其是英国的发展历史,促进我国法医临床学的学科建设和发展。     

Bodies,bones and burials

A local meeting of Forensic Science Society, entitled Bodies, Bones and Burrials, was held at the Metropolitan police Forensic Science Laboratory on 21 March 1987. David Loxley, of the Home Office Forensic Science Laboratory, Birmingham, chaires the meeting and gave the introducation, The following report was prepared for the Society by Lesley-Anne Denton.     

Forensic pathology then and now. Retrospect and reflections

The past half-century has witnessed significant progress and multiple, meaningful changes in the day-to-day practice of forensic pathology as it has in all other branches of laboratory and clinical medicine. Associated with the welcome advancing "scientific" aspects of our work have been gratifying changes in the professional status of our much misunderstood area of medical activity, the latter most vividly and convincingly represented by American Board of Pathology certification in Forensic Pathology and the appearance of such growing, vital, national professional organizations as the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and our National Association of Medical Examiners and the creation of such highly respected periodicals as the Journal of Forensic Sciences and our American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology. Objective assessment of the foregoing accomplishments leads to the inescapable conclusion that forensic pathology has emerged from its previous role as the "invisible profession" and become a respected and productive branch of laboratory medicine.     

Psychoactive drugs in the road traffic in the legal and consultative aspects—Experience gained by the Forensic Medicine Department, Silesian University of Medicine, Katowice

Introduction

In the years 1997–2007 in the Forensic Medicine Department, Silesian University of Medicine, Katowice a total of 785 blood samples collected from drivers being the perpetrators of road accidents was tested for the presence of psychoactive drugs.

Methods

The studies took advantage of FPIA (Abbott), ELISA (Neogen), LC–MS and GC FID.

Results

21% of tested samples were positive. In the blood of the driver cannabinoids, amphetamine and its derivatives were most frequently found. Moreover, individual opium alkaloids, their combinations with barbiturates, benzodiazepines or amphetamine, benzodiazepine derivatives (isolated cases), drugs of benzodiazepine group in combination with barbiturates, tramadol or tricyclic anti-depressants (isolated cases), carbamazepine, phenotiazine, cocaine, dibenzepine, benzene, toluene and acetone were determined.

Conclusion

The obtained results showed cannabinoids and amphetamine derivatives to be the most frequent whereas opium alkaloids, barbiturates and benzodiazepines rather rare psychoactive drugs found in the tested blood samples of the drivers involved in the road accidents. The authors suggest screening psychoactive drugs not only in drivers involved in road accidents but also those put through the routine road check procedures. While giving opinions on the influence of the above mentioned drugs on the psychophysical efficiency of road traffic users, drugs and compounds which are not subject to legal control but have an effect on the human psychomotor efficiency and thus, enhance the risk of the road accident should be also taken into account.     

Importance of electromyography and the electrophysiological severity scale in forensic reports

Forensic reports on traumatic peripheral nerve injuries include dysfunction degrees of extremities, which are arranged according to the Turkish Penalty Code. The aim of this study is to discuss the role and importance of electromyography while preparing forensic reports in the cases of traumatic peripheral nerve injuries and the usefulness of scoring systems. A modified global scale, recommended by Mondelli et al., was used to assess the electrophysiological impairment of each peripheral nerve. Forensic reports of 106 patients, reported between 2002 and 2004, were evaluated. Thirty-four percent of the cases were reported as "total loss of function," 41.5% were reported as "functional disability," and there were no dysfunctions in the other cases in forensic reports that were prepared based on Council of Social Insurance Regulations of Health Processes and Guide prepared by the Council of Forensic Medicine and profession associations of forensic medicine. When we rearranged these forensic reports based on the electrophysiological severity scale (ESS), it was clearly found that all of the score 2 cases and 86.7% of the score 3 cases corresponded to "functional disability" and 91.4% of the score 4 cases correspond to "total loss of function." We found a significant correlation between the ESS and functional evaluation in peripheral nerve injury cases. Evaluation of functional disabilities in peripheral nerve injuries with the ESS represents a standardized and objective method used for forensic reports.     

法庭科学的真谛——重温林几教授《二十年来法医学之进步》

《二十年来法医学之进步》一文,是林几对法庭科学史、法庭科学内涵、范围、管理、教育、学术、立法及法庭科学人文、人格等的研究成果,是林几的教育思想及学术思想的集中体现.文章揭示了法庭科学的真谛,对今天仍有十分重要的历史和现实意义.