Rolled up to death. An unusual autoerotic fatality

Recently, an unusual case of autoerotic death in which a man died of hypoxia after having enclosed himself in plastic was reported in this Journal (1). We present a second case showing many similarities to the one published previously.     

Early and late meningeal reaction to trauma after long-term brain death.

We examined histologically the meninges adherent to traumatic lesions of a patient with brain death sustained for 101 days and observed both early and late reactions of wound healing at the same site of the dura mater. Some parts of the dura mater were thick and histological examinations revealed formation of new vessels and fibrosis with strong positive reaction for iron and fat staining. We also observed fresh haemorrhage and some cell infiltration in the dura and fresh haemorrhage in a small piece of necrotic brain tissue adhered to the dura mater, while other areas of the brain tissue were completely necrotic, enabling the sites of head injury to be localised. These observations suggested that the blood flow in the dura mater fluctuates due to a change of microenvironment, which probably causes repeated secondary petechial haemorrhages in the dura and its adherent necrotic brain tissue, even 101 days after brain death.     

Electronic surveillance: An alternative to incarceration

This paper discusses the development of electronic monitoring, explains basic functions, discusses applications, provides information on specific equipment, examines test results, and presents a brief overview of the Electronic Surveillance Program (Work Furlough Program) operated by the San Diego County Probation Department. The paper concludes with a synopsis of the major public concerns about electronic monitoring. A version of this paper was presented to the Forty-Second International Conference, Correctional Education Association on July 27, 1987 at the Cathedra Hill Hotel in San Francisco, California.     

An autopsy case of infant death due to heat stroke.

We report an autopsy case of infant death due to heat stroke. On a winter day, a 52-day-old female baby was placed under a Japanese electric foot warmer with a coverlet (kotatsu) on an electric carpet warmer in a heated room at home. After about 5 h, the mother noticed that the baby was unconscious and took her to a hospital. Spontaneous respiration, however, was already absent, and the pupils were dilated. The trunk was hot; body temperature was 41.3 degrees C. The skin of the whole body was dry. Autopsy revealed second-degree burn injuries on the left side of the face and the dorsum of the left hand. Numerous marked petechiae and ecchymoses were found in the thymus (capsule and parenchyma), pleurae (visceral and parietal), pericardial cavity (internal and external surfaces), epicardium, and beneath the serosa at the origin of the aorta. In addition, there was congestion in various organs, edema in the brain and lungs, and hemorrhage in the lungs. Histopathologically, macrophages without hemosiderin granules were present in the alveoli. When the heating conditions at the accident were reproduced experimentally, the temperature in the electric kotatsu warmer rose to 50-60 degrees C. Thus, we concluded that misuse of the electric kotatsu caused heat stroke in this infant.     

Aspects of brain death

The different aspects of brain death are discussed. It is pointed out that the diagnosis of poisoning as the cause of brain death can be checked by toxicological examination of brain tissue and of blood in the sinus of the dura mater, since the metabolism in the brain and sinus blood is markedly reduced while drugs and toxic substances continue to be broken down in the other organs. Particular importance attaches to this difference in the case of crimes of violence creating conditions that predispose to brain death when the significance of a further violent act, e.g. stabbing with resultant haemorrhage, has to be assessed. The simple vital reaction of bleeding does not of itself constitute proof in such a situation, unless it is possible to say with a good degree of certainty that brain death did not occur at the moment when the victim was stabbed. It may, however, be possible to state that brain death that could have been caused by violence has not yet occurred if complex vital reactions, such as inflammation of a wound, are seen.     

Wrapped to death. Unusual autoerotic death

Despite the large population of New Orleans, including many homosexual and transsexuals, there have been relatively few cases of autoerotic deaths. The case reported here is an interesting one as it includes a bizarre form of autoerotic behavior from the standpoint of the method used. There have been no deaths reported in the literature in which the victim died as a result of jeopardizing himself by enclosing his body into plastic with an airway out of his "cocoon" in the form of a snorkel tube. He was engaged in masturbation when he apparently lost his mouth piece or airway. He attempted to use a knife to cut himself out.     

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 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.     

An alternative method to screen for pepper spray residue

A method was developed to screen for pepper spray residue using instruments and methods other than those techniques commonly employed to analyze chemical residue (i.e.. gas chromatography mass spectrometry-GCMS or liquid chromatography mass spectrometry-LCMS). The method employed gas chromatography (GC), thin layer chromatography (TLC), and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) to screen for dried pepper spray stains. Pepper sprays from nine different manufacturers were investigated. Capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin were identified and unique IR reflectance spectra are presented. An additional five compounds were presumptively found. Results showed that a particular stain could be characterized as a pepper-based stain.     

Time since death. An entomological study on corpses

After death, during disintegration, various environmental conditions and fauna play an important role, indicating "time since death." The natural openings of the host body provide the most important breeding place for an agent which could consume the body very quickly, e.g., flies. Wounds are preferred over the natural openings by this agent. In such cases, antemortem wounds become unidentifiable. This paper presents the study of 25 cases in which inferences relating to the maturation of blow fly life stages and the total developmental time of an adult blow fly in breeding experiments in the prevailing environment are drawn. These can be used to help estimate the "time since death" of infested bodies.     

Autoerotic death in females. An underdiagnosed syndrome?

Deaths of young women due to autoerotic asphyxia have been rarely reported. The case of a 19-year-old woman is described in which several of the characteristic death-scene features found in cases of male autoerotic asphyxial deaths were absent. An awareness that this syndrome may occur among women with a less obvious presentation than in men is essential so that death will not be incorrectly attributed to nonaccidental causes. This syndrome may be more common than the number of reported cases would suggest.     

An outcome evaluation of a restorative justice alternative to incarceration

Restorative justice has become an increasingly popular alternative to traditional applications of criminal justice. The emphasis on victim needs and the personalizing of conflict resolution offers an attractive choice for those dissatisfied with the adversarial, impersonal, and retributive focus of the present criminal justice system. Many evaluations of restorative justice programs, especially those with a diversion goal, have rarely controlled for the possibility of net widening and the influence of offender risk on recidivism. This evaluation examined a prison diversion program that followed restorative justice principles. Using a matched comparison group and controlling for offender risk, the program demonstrated a diversion effect and a significant reduction in offender recidivism. The results are encouraging for jurisdictions experimenting with this new approach to justice and seeking a more integrated role for victims in criminal justice processing.     

Central monoamines and the death process time (antemortem time) during asphyxia. An experimental study in the mouse brain

The changes of the brain monoamines, norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), and serotonin (5-HT), during acute asphyxia, caused by strangulation, anoxia, and drowning, were studied in the mouse. In several asphyxiated animal groups significant linear correlation was found between the level of monoamines, NE, DA, and 5-HT, and the death process times or antemortem times were r = 0.50, 0.98 (P less than 0.05), and 0.57, respectively. It is concluded that the level of brain NE and DA increased in the mouse that died of asphyxia, and the level of 5-HT showed only an apparent decrease in anoxia groups as compared with the control group and showed a twice as high increase in drowning groups. Especially, there was a tendency that the longer the death process times or antemortem times, the higher was the level of DA.     

An experimental study of death in a reverse suspension.

To investigate the course of respiration and circulation in a head-down position, 14 rabbits were set in reverse suspension. The respiratory rate increased a little, but the amplitude of the respiratory movements did not change in the beginning of the experiment. The amplitude of respiratory movements then began to reduce gradually, and toward the end of the experiment, it reduced suddenly. PaO2 increased in the beginning of the experiment and then began to decrease in accordance with the reduction of the amplitude of the respiratory movements. The blood pressure decreased with relation to the decrease of PaO2 resulting from the reduction of the amplitude of the respiratory movements. All rabbits died in 17 to 44 hours (average, 26 hours). The results suggested that the cause of death in a head-down position is due to postural asphyxia resulting from hindered respiratory movements, and that it is possible to survive for at least half a day in a head-down position.