Circumstances and macropathologic findings in 1590 consecutive cases of bodies found in water

The diagnosis of drowning relies primarily on critical examination of the subject's individual characteristics, circumstances, and postmortem macropathologic changes. In this retrospective study, based on 1590 consecutive cases of bodies found in water and undergoing autopsy at the Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Helsinki, from 1976 to 1998, the frequency of circumstantial data and macropathologic changes crucial for the diagnosis of drowning were determined. The fatal events were eyewitnessed in 403 cases (25.3%), and suicide notes were found in 83 cases (5.2%). External foam, frothy fluid in airways, and overlap of the anterior margins of lungs were found in 275 (17.3%), 739 (46.5%), and 669 (42.1%) of the cases, respectively, but no one of these changes, tested against dry-land controls, were specific for drowning. The association of external foam and overlap of the lung margins was exclusive of drowning but was observed in only 176 cases (11.1%). After cross-analysis, 964 (60.6%) of the cases had no circumstantial data or macromorphologic pathologic findings that allowed a definite diagnosis of drowning. The diagnostic problems in putative drowning cases, based on this study sample, have not been overrated. Studies to investigate and improve the reliability of complementary methods for the diagnosis of drowning are warranted.     

Virtual anthropology and forensic identification: report of one case

A charred body was found after a fire in a house in a mountainous region of France. The body was severely burned and was not formally identified as the owner of the house. Autopsy was carried out to seek vital reactions and/or traumatic lesions and to identify the corpse. Before bone preparation and after autopsy, multislice computed tomography (MSCT) was performed in order to assess the potential of the technique for radiological anthropological bone identification. The challenge was to determine as accurately as possible the sex, age, ante-mortem stature and ethnic of the victim using both MSCT and conventional bone study. The results of the two techniques were compared. MSCT provided an answer to all the questions, whereas bone study did not. To the best of our knowledge, this case is the first to use MSCT for forensic anthropological study and illustrates the potential contribution of this technique in this field.     

Fatal iatrogenic BaSO4 embolism: morphological and ultrastructural findings confirmed by X-ray microanalysis and ICP-AES

A 42-year-old woman died from massive barium sulfate (BaSO(4)) lung embolism after a balloon catheter intended for elective colonography was inserted into her vagina. The vaginal insertion of the balloon catheter caused a bilateral laceration of the vaginal wall which was followed by penetration of BaSO(4) into the afferent veins and massive pulmonary embolism. Fluoroscopy performed during the fatal events and post-mortem X-rays revealed a radio-opaque substance in the vagina and uterus, the pelvic vessels and the vena cava, the right heart chambers, the lungs, and the kidneys. In addition to lungs, finely granular intravascular particles were demonstrated histologically in several organs including the brain and the glomerular capillaries. Scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy together with X-ray microanalysis, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) allowed the definite identification of BaSO(4) in lungs and confirmed its capacity to penetrate the pulmonary filter and to embolise via the systemic circulation in various organs.     

The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea: Activities in 2006

This paper gives an overview of the activities of the InternationalTribunal for the Law of the Sea in 2006, regarding organizationaldevelopments, administrative matters and judicial activitiesof the Tribunal.     

Forensic Analysis Reveals Acute Decompensation of Chronic Heart Failure in a 3500‐Year‐Old Egyptian Dignitary

Naturally preserved and embalmed bodies from archeological contexts represent a powerful source of information for forensic investigators. They allow one to ascertain pathology, cause of death, to enhance diagnostic methodology, and to improve the analysis of altered remains. We investigated the complete head and lung remnants of a 3,500‐year‐old Egyptian dignitary by radiological, microscopic, and genetic approaches. The individual, a middle‐aged male, suffered from severe periodontitis, mild atherosclerosis, and experienced cardiogenic pulmonary insufficiency with recurrent mini‐bleeds and pulmonary edema. Histology and ancient DNA analyses excluded the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis or of any other pathogenic species. Based on our collection of evidence, we propose that acute decompensation complicating chronic cardiac insufficiency was the likely cause of death. The underlying causes for this failure remain unknown although chronic hypertension appears to be the most likely candidate. Our finding represents the earliest reported case of chronic heart failure in ancient mummies.     

The role margin as the site for moral and social intelligence: The case of Germany and National Socialism

This study traces the origins and development of the crime of genocide using the Holocaust and its absolutist ideology and racist myth systems -s as developed by Nazi geneticists and sociologists – which has lead to euthanasia, killing squads and extermination camps such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, as a frame of reference. This inquiry further investigates how seemingly ``ordinary,' indoctrinated and often intimidated people acted upon biddings of an unscrupulous leader assisted by cohorts who uncritically assumed assigned roles and externalized discretion in a totalitarian system. Individual discretion was externalized and delegated to the leader, Adolf Hitler, or to their immediate superiors. Following the orders of these leaders gradually paved the process of an escalation of violence into genocide. Reasons for this process are not merely politically and/or economically motivated, but are also to be sought in the society's pool and level of moral and social intelligence, as well as in frustrated expectations experienced by large segments of the populous. Individual and group response to powerful situational forces are examined. Human behavior is found to be represented on a broad spectrum ranging from altruism on one hand of the scale to authoritarianism and extreme destructiveness on the other. Special attention is given to moral integrity and accountability, its development and application.