A brief history of forensic entomology.

Apart from an early case report from China (13th century) and later artistic contributions, the first observations on insects and other arthropods as forensic indicators were documented in Germany and France during mass exhumations in the late 1880s by Reinhard and Hofmann, whom we propose recognizing as co-founders of the discipline. After the French publication of Mégnin's popular book on the applied aspects of forensic entomology, the concept quickly spread to Canada and the US. At the time, researchers recognized that the lack of systematic observations of forensically important insects stood in the way of their use as indicators of postmortem interval. General advances in insect taxonomy, and ecology helped close this gap over the following decades.Many early case reports dealt with alleged child homicides, including the suspected use of sulphuric acid. In this context, it was shown that ants, cockroaches, and freshwater arthropods could produce postmortem artifacts suggestive of child abuse.After the World Wars, few forensic entomology cases entered the scientific literature. From the 1960s to the 1980s, Leclecq and Nuorteva were primarily responsible for maintaining the method in Central Europe, with a focus on case work. Since then, basic research in the US, Russia and Canada has opened the way to the routine use of entomology in forensic investigations. The following article gives a brief overview of historic developments in the field. A major focus is on the work done between 1850 and 1950. Since sources from that time remain difficult to track down, the article also includes a historic bibliographical overview on forensic entomology of that era.     

我国法医昆虫学的研究进展

法医昆虫学是应用昆虫学知识解决有关法律问题的法医学分支学科。在推断死亡时间等方面具有明显优势。本文在阐述法医昆虫学定义和研究内容基础上,综述尸体上的昆虫生态群落演替现象、昆虫发育形态学、DNA分析技术的应用、法医昆虫毒理学等法医昆虫学问题在我国的研究进展。     

The development and main achievements of forensic entomology

The history and main achievements of forensic entomology are introduced. The future of forensic entomology is discussed.     

Use of beetles in forensic entomology.

Beetles (Coleoptera) have been recognised as providing significant entomological evidence in the medico-legal field, particularly with reference to dry human skeletal remains in the later stages of decomposition.The Dermestidae (skin beetles) and Cleridae (bone beetles) have been found as the most common types infesting exposed human remains and providing evidence in estimating the minimum postmortem interval (PMI).     

法医昆虫学的发展与主要成就

本文介绍了国内外法医昆虫学的发展历史和取得的主要成就，并对其今后的发展趋势进行了探讨。     

Child neglect and forensic entomology.

Close co-operation between forensic scientists, medico-legal doctors, and police forces made it possible to estimate not only the post-mortem interval but also the time since a child was neglected. On the skin surface under the diaper (anal-genital area), third instar larvae of the false stable fly Muscina stabulans FALLEN, and the lesser house fly Fannia canicularis L. were found. F. canicularis adults are attracted to both feces and urine. From the face, larvae of the bluebottle fly Calliphora vomitoria L. were collected. C. vomitoria maggots are typical early inhabitants of corpses. From the developmental times of the flies, it was estimated that the anal-genital area of the child had not been cleaned for about 14 days (7-21 day range), and that death occurred only 6-8 days prior to discovery of the body. This is the first report where an examination of the maggot fauna on a person illustrated neglect that had occurred prior to death.     

北美、欧洲法医昆虫学学术会议综述

法医昆虫学等已在西方等发达国家普遍应用,本文简单介绍并分析了北美第一届法医昆虫学学术会议及欧洲第一届法医昆虫学学术会议及其论文情况。     

北美、欧洲法医昆虫学学术会议综述

法医昆虫学等已在西方等发达国家普遍应用，本文简单介绍并分析了北美第一届法医昆虫学学术会议及欧洲第一届法医昆虫学学术会议及其论文情况。     

Textbooks on legal medicine in the German-speaking countries

In this survey, the textbooks on legal medicine which were published in the German-speaking countries from the 17th century up to now are briefly reviewed. The textbooks with the most impact on the further development of legal medicines were those published by Johann Ludwig Casper in Berlin and Eduard Ritter von Hofmann in Vienna in the 19th century. The main textbooks of the 20th century are addressed as well, also the different development in both German countries.     

The use of Megaselia abdita (Diptera: Phoridae) in forensic entomology

This case study demonstrates the importance of the Phorid, Megaselia abdita (Schmitz), as an indicator for post-mortem interval estimation in criminal investigations involving forensic entomology where it is usually the more frequently occurring Calliphorids that are most useful. A case example is discussed where the temperatures were low for the period of time the deceased was missing.     

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.     

A model for the aging of fly larvae in forensic entomology

A method is described for determining the time of hatching of blowfly larvae on a corpse with respect to temperature. Temperature is known to have a profound effect on the rate of growth of fly larvae, and it is suggested that past assumptions that the growth of larvae found in a corpse has taken place at one approximated ambient temperature may have led to large overestimates of the development time of the larvae, and thus overestimates of time of death. Larvae of Lucilia cuprina, Calliphora vicina (= erythrocephala), Calliphora stygia and Calliphora hilli were cultured under constant temperatures, and their growth rates modeled with a logistic growth curve. Two programmes have been developed, one to compute the parameters for the logistic equations, the other is used to estimate the time elapsed from the time at which a sample is removed from a body to the estimated hatching time of the larvae comprising the sample, with temperatures and species as variables.     

国外司法鉴定制度

一、国外司法鉴定管理体制及特点 (一)国外司法鉴定管理体制 1、英国。在管理主体架构上,英国司法鉴定统一管理机构是由内政部、检察院、警察局共同成立的法庭科学管理委员会,负责对全国司法鉴定工作进行指导。该委员会设在内政部,独立于警察、检察机构。英国内政部具体负责一些管理工作。如对英格兰和威尔士鉴定科学服务局进行政策指导。在管理内容上,英国虽无鉴定人资格统一的考试考核制度,但英国内政部掌握着一大批由行业协会推荐的专家名     

Experimental and casework validation of ambient temperature corrections in forensic entomology

This paper expands on Archer (J Forensic Sci 49, 2004, 553), examining additional factors affecting ambient temperature correction of weather station data in forensic entomology. Sixteen hypothetical body discovery sites (BDSs) in Victoria and New South Wales (Australia), both in autumn and in summer, were compared to test whether the accuracy of correlation was affected by (i) length of correlation period; (ii) distance between BDS and weather station; and (iii) periodicity of ambient temperature measurements. The accuracy of correlations in data sets from real Victorian and NSW forensic entomology cases was also examined. Correlations increased weather data accuracy in all experiments, but significant differences in accuracy were found only between periodicity treatments. We found that a >5°C difference between average values of body in situ and correlation period weather station data was predictive of correlations that decreased the accuracy of ambient temperatures estimated using correlation. Practitioners should inspect their weather data sets for such differences.     

The history of the forensic applications in radiology

The history of progress in any field of science is related directly to technical advances which have occurred during that period. The microscope contributed immensely to the advancement of forensic investigations in the late 19th century, with its use to study trace evidence including blood, semen, soil, paint, and biological material. The application of the discovery of x-radiation by Dr. R?entgen of Würzburg, Germany, in 1895 provided an important new tool for medical practitioners throughout the world. Its application was also realized as a potential weapon by medicolegal investigators. Discovery of the location of foreign objects, including bullets, thus became a clinical as well as a forensic technique in support of the investigation of living and deceased persons. The early application of x-ray methodology in England in 1896 by Prof. Arthur Schuster of Owens College, Manchester, in a case of a gunshot wound of a woman, is described as well as some aspects of the primitive technique which were used.     

A forensic entomology case from the Amazon rain forest of Brazil

The first case of application of forensic entomology in the Brazilian Amazonia is described. The corpses of 26 men were found in the rainforest in Rondonia State, Brazil. Fly larvae collected on the bodies during autopsy were identified as Paralucilia fulvinota (Diptera, Calliphoridae). No data or specimens were collected at the crime scene. At the laboratory, the larvae developed into pupae in 58 h and into adults in 110.5 h. The total development time for P. fulvinota was measured in field experiments inside the forest. The age of the larvae when collected from the bodies was estimated as the difference between the time required for them to become adults and the total development time for this species. The estimated age of the maggots and the minimum postmortem interval was 5.7 days.     

A preliminary study of forensic entomology in Medellín, Colombia.

This is the first report of an ongoing study of insect succession on carrion carried out in Medellín, Colombia, using pigs (Sus scrofa) as a model to determine the insect sequence over 207 days. During this period, 2314 insects belonging to the following orders and families were collected: Diptera: Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Piophilidae, Sarcophagidae, Syrphidae, Otitidae; Hymenoptera: Apidae, Formicidae, Halictidae, Mutilidae, Vespidae; Coleoptera: Staphylinidae, Histeridae, Carabidae, Scarabaeidae, Silphidae, Dermestidae, Cleridae, Nitidulidae; Dermaptera: Forficulidae; Hemyptera: Gelastocoridae, Coreidae; Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae.Five decomposition stages were observed (fresh, bloated, active decay, advanced decay, and dry remains) and four insect ecological categories (necrophagous, predators, omnivorous, and incidental). During the fresh stage, the first insects that appeared were flies of the families Sarcophagidae and Muscidae and specimens of Formicidae (Hymenoptera). During the bloated period, species of Calliphoridae (Diptera) were predominant and the first to oviposit. During the third and fourth stages (active decay and advanced decay), the most abundant families were Calliphoridae and Muscidae, although Staphilinidae (Coleoptera) also stood out. During the last stage (dry remains), the dominant family was Formicidae (Hymenoptera) followed by Dermestidae (Coleoptera) with a large number of immature insects.     

An alternative for the extraction and storage of DNA from insects in forensic entomology

An important area of recent research in forensic entomology has been the use of insect DNA to provide identification of insects for fast and accurate estimation of time since death. This requires DNA to be extracted efficiently and in a state suitable for use in molecular procedures, and then stored on a long-term basis. In this study, Whatman FTA cards were tested for use with the Calliphoridae (Diptera). In particular, testing examined their ability to effectively extract DNA from specimens, and store and provide DNA template in a suitable condition for amplification using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The cards provided DNA that was able to be amplified from a variety of life stages, and thus appears to be of sufficient quality and quantity for use in subsequent procedures. FTA cards therefore appear suitable for use with calliphorids, and provide a new method of extraction that is simple and efficient and allows for storage and transportation without refrigeration, consequently simplifying the handling of DNA in forensic entomological cases.