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Year: 2017

Pediatric Forensic Pathology: Limits and Controversies

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Chapter 1—Pediatric Forensic Pathology: Some Background

Chapter Overview
Clinical medicine serves patients; forensic pathology serves the state to find out why its citizens die. Being involved in investigating possible crime is very different from treating patients. Medicine has developed quite a strong evidence base to its practice, and this has not been mirrored to the same extent in forensic pathology. The massive expansion in the size of the knowledge base of medicine has had implications for forensic pathology. Forensic pathology is a very small operational medical specialty; pediatric forensic pathology is a subset of cases within forensic pathology, and is not an operational specialty. Knowledge in forensic pathology evolves, not always in a uniform forward progression.

Introduction
Medicine exists to serve patients. Starting with doctors’ training as medical students, everything revolves around the patient. Doctor’s obligations to patients are central. This culture, imbued during medical training, survives intact through to the practice of virtually every branch of medicine, including all the disciplines within pathology...

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Skeletal Remains Presumed Submerged in Water for Three Years Identified Using PCR-STR Analysis

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ABSTRACT:

We describe the successful identification of the remains of a saponified body found in a dam by typing of nuclear DNA. Whereas DNA extracted from soft tissues yielded negative PCR results, DNA extracted from the bone by a slightly modified Qiagen procedure allowed the typing of sex (AMG locus) and of 10 additional STR loci. An identity document was found belonging to a man missing for 3 years and comparison of the results to the DNA profiles of his son and wife confirmed the identity. The longest delay reported until now for successful nuclear DNA genotyping after immersion in river water was 18 months. This case demonstrates a delay of up to 3 years.

Recovery of human DNA from bones of severely decomposed bodies was reported for the identification of unidentified bodies like murder victims (1) or ancient human remains (2). Nevertheless, few studies concern genotyping of bodies immersed in water, the longest reported delay for successful identification being 18 months (3). The mai...

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Strengthening Forensic Science | Edwards Testimony

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A SYSTEM PLAGUED BY A PAUCITY OF GOOD RESEARCH, FRAGMENTATION, INCONSISTENT PRACTICES, AND WEAK GOVERNANCE.

For decades, various forensic science disciplines have produced valuable evidence that has contributed to the successful prosecution and conviction of criminals, and also the exoneration of innocent people. In recent years, advances in forensic science disciplines, especially the use of DNA technology, have demonstrated that some areas of forensic science have great additional potential to help law enforcement agencies identify criminals. There are scores of talented and dedicated people in the forensic science community, and the work that they perform is very important. They are often strapped in their work, however, because of (1) a paucity of strong scientific research, (2) a lack of adequate resources and national support, and (3) the absence of unified and meaningful regulation of crime laboratories and practitioners. It is clear that change and advancements, both systemic and scientific, are needed in a number of forensic science disciplines to ensure the reliability of the disciplines, establish.. .

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Solvent | Perchloroethylene

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Perchlorethylene or perchlor is a chlorinated solvent produced by PPG Industries and used extensively by dry cleaning plants. Other applications include vapor degreasing, and use as a chemical intermediate and processing solvent. Perchlor is nonflammable, has low toxicity, and has an inherent stability further enhanced by PPG’s stabilizer system.

Properties and Characteristics
Perchlor has no flash point and no fire point, which gives it an important advantage over petroleum distillates such as Stoddard solvent for dry cleaning operations. As a result, along with its desirable physical properties, Perchlor has become the largest-volume dry cleaning solvent. Perchlor is relatively inert, and is inherently more stable than other chlorinated solvents. PPG’s perchlor is further stabilized to prevent solvent degradation...

General Applications
In addition to its wide use as a drycleaning solvent, PPG’s perchlor is used extensively for vapor degreasing because of its high solvency, non-flammability and high vapor density. Drycleaning—Perchlor is the preferred solvent because, in addition to its non-flammability, it provides a fast, powerful yet gentle cleaning...

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Penetrating Wounds of the Abdominal Wall

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PENETRATING wounds of the abdominal wall represent a diflcult diagnostic problem to the clinician regarding the presence or absence of intra-abdominal injury. Immediate exploratory laparotomv has usually been advised to determine if an injury has occurred to the abdominal contents. This method of treatment has prevented most of the complications of penetrating abdominal wounds, but has resulted in a large number of unnecessary operations. At the Johns Hopkins Hospital during the past io years, only 40 per cent of abdominal stab wounds were shown at the time of surgery to have penetrated. In the present report a technique is described by which it can be determined whether penetration into the abdominal cavity has occurred. METHOD The procedure was carried out in each case in the Emergency Room, using standard roentgenographic equipment . The area around the stab wound is prepared with septisol and aqueous zephanim to establish a sterile field. A number 14 French catheter is inserted through the...

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Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward

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INTRODUCTION

On November 22, 2005, the Science, State, Justice, Commerce, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2006 became law.1 Under the terms of the statute, Congress authorized “the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study on forensic science, as described in the Senate report.” The Senate Report to which the Conference Report refers states: While a great deal of analysis exists of the requirements in the discipline of DNA, there exists little to no analysis of the remaining needs of the community outside of the area of DNA. Therefore . . . the Committee directs the Attorney General to provide [funds] to the National Academy of Sciences to create an independent Forensic Science Committee. This Committee shall include members of the forensics community representing operational crime laboratories, medical examiners, and coroners; legal experts; and other scientists as determined appropriate.

The Senate Report also sets forth the charge to the Forensic Science Committee, instructing it to:
(1) assess the present and future resource

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Scent as Forensic Evidence and its Relationship to the Law Enforcement Canine

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Law enforcement agencies around the country use specially trained dogs for a variety of purposes. The primary reason is that they are cost-effective means for crime control (O’block, Doeren, & True, 1979; Lilly & Puckett, 1997). At this time, dogs still possess abilities that far exceed that of existing technology. Unfortunately, empirical evidence documenting how the canine utilizes his amazing olfactory skills is far from complete and little scientific testing of law enforcement canines has been conducted (Department of the Treasury, 1993). Only through a review of the literature in a range of law enforcement functions can even a fuzzy picture of the nature of scent, as a form of forensic evidence be perceived. This review of the literature attempts to link the commonalities found in research of different disciplines and form a better understanding scent that will drive future research. ORIGIN OF SCENT
Man has utilized the scenting power of dogs for thousands of years (Chapman, 1990). The ability of dogs (Canis familiaris) to detect human...

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Practice Guidelines For Florida Medical Examiners

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Introduction

The Florida district medical examiner system is perhaps the most effective medical examiner system devised in the United States. One reason for its effectiveness may be that Florida medical examiners have a four-tier system of statutes, rules, guidelines, and office policies that governs their practices. Part I, Chapter 406, Florida Statutes, is the Medical Examiners Act. In it, the legislature creates the medical examiner system, charges the medical examiners with the duty to determine the cause of death under specified circumstances, empowers the medical examiners with the authority to perform autopsies at their own discretion, and broadly defines relationships with law enforcement agencies and the state attorneys. Chapter 11G, Florida Administrative Code, is a set of rules written by the Florida Medical Examiners Commission and adopted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement after public hearings. The code expands on the statutes. To some extent the code has the force of statute because infractions can result in discipline. Like statute, code is written in absolutes...

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Practical Pathology of Gunshot Wounds

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Context . —Gunshot wounds are the most common cause of homicidal death in the United States. Analysis and interpretation of fatal gunshot wounds is an important and common practice among forensic pathologists. Additionally, for pathology residents, it is an integral aspect of their training during their rotations at medical examiner or coroner offices.

Objective.

—The correct interpretation of gunshot wounds by forensic pathologists not only provides valuable information that can assist law enforcement in their investigation but also is essential for the final determination of manner of death. Discussion of the practical, basic, and essential skills required to interpret gunshot wounds include distinguishing a classic entrance wound from an exit wound; recognizing atypical entrance and exit wounds;utilizing the features of soot and stippling patterns to differentiate among contact, close, and distant range gunshot wounds; understanding of the trauma produced by gunshot wounds; and understanding the importance of recovering and documenting...

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Postmortem Changes and Time of Death

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Quotations
"The time of death is sometimes extremely important. It is a question almost invariably asked by police officers, sometimes with a touching faith in the accuracy of the estimate. Determining the time of death is extremely difficult, and accuracy is impossible". (Ref. 8 at p. 115.) "No problem in forensic medicine has been investigated as thoroughly as that of determining the time of death on the basis of post mortem findings. Apart from its obvious legal importance, its solution has been so elusive as to provide a constant intellectual challenge to workers in many sciences. In spite of the great effort and ingenuity expended, the results have been meagre". (Ref. 15 at p. 33.) "Repeated experience teaches the investigator to be wary of relying on any single observation for estimating the time of death (or "duration of the post mortem interval"), and he wisely avoids making dogmatic statements based on an isolated observation". (Ref. 12 at p. 151.)

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Postmortem Burns-An Artefact Due toTransportation

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Abstract
An artefact is any change caused or feature introduced in a body after death (accidentally or physiologically unrelated finding to the natural state of the body) that is likely to lead to misinterpretation of medico legally significant ante mortem findings. Artefacts due to burns are usually attributed to prolonged exposure of flame (in cases of death due to burns), Or else due to attempts made to burn a body after homicide with the object of concealing the crime. Post mortem artefact due to burns in the present case, its implication and proposed mechanism are discussed in detail due to rarity of its kind

Introduction
An artefact is any change caused or feature introduced in a body after death (accidentally or physiologically unrelated finding to the natural state of the body) that is likely to lead to misinterpretation of medico legally significant ante mortem findings . Determination of the cause of death following autopsy is an interpretative and intelligent procedure, and depends upon sound

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Medical Waste Manual

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2.2 Storage Methods
The wastes generated on campus are to be placed immediately in a biohazard bag or a sharps container. At the end of each day, the biohazard bags are to be sealed by the appropriate staff or faculty member. These bags are to be moved to and placed in a secondary container located in the medical waste storage shed (see Section 2.3 for storage times). Sharps containers remain in the labs until they are full and they are then sealed and placed in a biohazard bag.
2.3 Storage Times and Temperatures
Biohazardous waste shall not be contained or stored above 0 degrees Centigrade (32 degrees Fahrenheit) for more than seven (7) days without the written approval of the enforcement agency. A person may store biohazardous waste at or below 0 degrees Centigrade for not more than 90 days before treatment with the written approval of the enforcement agency. If the facility is unable to control the odor from its stored waste and the...

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Bureau of Justice Statistics Medical Examiners and Coroners’ Offices, 2004

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About 2,000 medical examiners and coroners' (ME/C) offices provided death investigation services across the United States in 2004. These offices were responsible for the medicolegal investigation of death. They may conduct death scene investigations, perform autopsies, and determine the cause and manner of death when a person has died as a result of violence, under suspicious circumstances, without a physician in attendance, or for other reasons. As of 2004, 16 States had a centralized statewide medical examiner system (see map). Fourteen States had a county coroner system, 7 had a county medical examiner system, and 13 had a mixed county medical examiner and coroner system. Eight States with decentralized death investigation systems also had a State medical examiner office performing medicolegal duties (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Montana, North Dakota, and Tennessee). The District of Columbia reported a city medical examiner office, which functioned similar to a statewide system. ME/C offices employed an estimated 7,320 FTE employees. Estimated annual budgets for these...

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Langers Lines

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Incisions made in the direction of Langer’s lines are less likely to gape. This is because they run parallel to the predominant direction of collagen bundles in the dermis - Langer developed his lines by stabbing cadavers with a conical punch. The resulting defects were often oval, rather than circular, because of the direction of the underlying collagen bundles. Langer joined the long axis of these ovals to establish his lines. The direction of Langer’s line on the torso can be established by placing the patient in the foetal position. Then outline the perimeter of a 20 cent piece over the area of interest. When the patient stand upright the outline of the coin will be oval with the long axis indicating Langer’s line. It is useful to know the surface marking of the entrance of the superior vena cava into the right atrium when positioning a central venous catheter. It is...

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Intelligent Face Recognition Techniques: A Comparative Study

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About 2,000 medical examiners and coroners' (ME/C) offices provided death investigation services across the United States in 2004. These offices were responsible for the medicolegal investigation of death. They may conduct death scene investigations, perform autopsies, and determine the cause and manner of death when a person has died as a result of violence, under suspicious circumstances, without a physician in attendance, or for other reasons. As of 2004, 16 States had a centralized statewide medical examiner system (see map). Fourteen States had a county coroner system, 7 had a county medical examiner system, and 13 had a mixed county medical examiner and coroner system. Eight States with decentralized death investigation systems also had a State medical examiner office performing medicolegal duties (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Montana, North Dakota, and Tennessee). The District of Columbia reported a city medical examiner office, which functioned similar to a statewide system. ME/C offices employed an estimated 7,320 FTE employees. Estimated annual budgets for these...

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Homicidal Penetrating Incised Wounds of the Thorax

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Abstract

During March-June and August-September 1981, 245 medicolegal autopsies were conducted by the author at the Johannesburg and Diepkloof government mortuaries. In 52 cases (21.2%) penetrating incised wounds of the thorax were found to be the cause of death. These involved diverse and often multiple thoracic structures - ventricles, atria, interventricular septum, lungs, and, in particular, blood vessels. In most of these cases death was ascribed to either exsanguination and the attendant hypovolaemic shock or, in those wounds involving the pericardium and myocardium, cardiac tamponade. Several findings emerged from this study: (i) an abysmally low number of the victims (5.8%) reached a medical facility alive; (ii) no females were seen, and the 21-30 year age group predominated (46.2%); (iii) 80.8% had arrived at the casualty department

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