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Forensic Pathology

The Forensic Evaluation Of Burned Skeletal Remains: A Synthesis

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In recent years, research and case experience have greatly augmented knowledge regarding the effects of extreme heat on skeletal remains. As a result of this effort, enhanced interpretation is now possible on such issues as the extent of recovery, reconstruction, trauma, individual identification, size reduction, thermal effects on histological structures, color variation, the determination if remains were burned with or without soft tissue, DNA recovery and residual weight. The rapidly growing literature in this area of forensic science includes experimental research that elucidates the dynamics of the thermal impact on skeletal structure and morphology.

1. Introduction
Although many cases in forensic anthropology involve interpretation of burned bone, until relatively recently few scientific studies have focused specifically on this topic. Since thermal alterations can occur in all types of cases routinely examined in forensic anthropology, analysis is needed to address a variety of issues. These issues include recovery, reconstruction, trauma interpretation, bone recognition, weight interpretation, thermal correlations with coloration, shrinkage and structural changes, distinguishing bones

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Acid Phosphatase Reaction as a Specific Test for the Identification of Seminal Stains

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In a variety of sexual offences, the seminal stain is usually encountered in a dried form on clothing worn by the participants of the offence as well as on other extraneous objects such as carpets, floor, grass, linoleum, mat; turf, wool, wood, and on the vaginal and rectal parts of the passive agent, depending upon the nature and circumstances of offence. The acid phosphatase reaction has now become an indispensable chemical test in the hands of a forensic scientist to identify the presence of semen which is an abundant source of the enzyme acid phosphatase (1). This enzyme acts optimally on monoesters of phosphoric acid at pH values around 5 to 6 (2). This test has been successfully employed to obtain a proof of the presence of seminal stains (3-12). The acid phosphatase reaction is a typical test in which the suspected seminal stain or an extract of it on a filter paper is reacted with a solution of the substrate,

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Gunshot Wounds: Determination of the Firing Distance through Micro-CT Analysis

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Aims

Forensic radiology is a specialized area of medical imaging utilizing radiological techniques to assist physicians and pathologists in matters pertaining to the law. Aim of the present research is to apply traditional and innovative radiological techniques in the field of forensic pathology in real cases, as well as in experimental models of wounds,in order to identify specific injury patterns and to discuss their diagnostic efficiency and their limits, with special regard to the reconstruction of the dynamic of the event..

Method

Human legs, surgically amputated, were cleaned of dried blood and any other contaminants and cut into 3 sections (approximately 6 cm in height). Firing into human legs was carried out perpendicularly at distances of 5, 15, 23, 30 and 40 cm using a 7.65-mm pistol and jacketed bullets (Fig 1). Uninjured skin sections of legs were used as controls.

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Pediatric Forensic Pathology:

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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...

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Body Burners: The Forensics of Fire

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THE fire started with a match held under a cotton blanket close to the man’s waist. Within 2 minutes, the flames had spread across the single bed he was lying on and were consuming his cotton sweatshirt and trousers.

Around a dozen onlookers were at the scene – including police, fire investigators and death investigators – yet all they did was watch. That was, after all, their job. The “victim” had in fact died some time ago, having previously donated his remains to medical research.

His body had reached a unique team led by Elayne Pope, a forensic scientist at the University of West Florida in Pensacola. Her group spends its time setting fire to corpses in a range of different circumstances, to work out exactly how the human body burns. They seem to be the only group carrying out such systematic studies in this area, and are certainly the only ones publishing their work...

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Huntington Disease; HD

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▼ TEXT A number sign (#) is used with this entry because Huntington disease (HD) is caused by a heterozygous expanded trinucleotide repeat (CAG)n, encoding glutamine, in the gene encoding huntingtin (HTT; 613004) on chromosome 4p16.

In normal individuals, the range of repeat numbers is 9 to 36. In those with HD, the repeat number is above 37 (Duyao et al., 1993).

▼ Description Huntington disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant progressive neurodegenerative disorder with a distinct phenotype characterized by chorea, dystonia, incoordination, cognitive decline, and behavioral difficulties. There is progressive, selective neural cell loss and atrophy in the caudate and putamen. Walker (2007) provided a detailed review of Huntington disease, including clinical features, population genetics, molecular biology, and animal models

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Comparison Between Prostate Specific Antigen And Acid Phosphatase For Detection Of Semen In Vaginal Swabs From Raped Women

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To compare the effectiveness of the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test and the acid phosphatase (AP) test for semen detection in human vaginal samples.

MATERIAL AND METHOD:

The source materials were vaginal swabs that were tested at Ramathibodi Hospital between 2008 and 2010 from 2450 cases of raped women. Each swab was tested for semen by three methods: sperm detection by light microscopy, the AP enzymatic reaction, and the presence of PSA by using an immuno-chromatographic rapid kit test. The efficiencies of the AP and PSA tests were compared using the light microscopy result for the presence of sperm as the gold standard.

RESULT:

The specificities of the AP, the PSA and the combined AP-PSA tests were 96.4%, 92.3% and 91.9%, respectively, and the sensitivities were 65.5%, 80.4% and 84.5%, respectively. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area of the AP, PSA and combined AP-PSA tests were 0.8091,...

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Simon’s Bleedings: A Possible Mechanism Of Appearance And Forensic Importance—a Prospective Autopsy Study

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Abstract

Simon’s bleedings are stripe-like hemorrhages on the ventral surface of the intervertebral disks of the lumbar part of the spinal column. The aims of this study were to determine the appearance frequency of Simon’s bleedings in cases of hanging and in other cases of asphyxiations and to determine if the age of the deceased was in correlation with the occurrence of Simon’s bleedings. A prospective autopsic study included 147 cases of hanging, 39 other asphyxiation deaths, and 461 deaths other than asphyxiation (blunt trauma, natural deaths, etc.). Simon’s bleedings were present in 62.8% cases of hanging and in 61.5% cases of other types of asphyxiations. Simon’s bleedings are not specific for hanging (χ2 = 0.022, p > 0.05). Simon’s bleedings were less frequent in other cases. It was established that the older the person was, the possibility of Simon’s bleedings to occur...

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Microscopical Study On Estimation Of Time Since Death In Skeletal Remains.

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Abstract

For the purpose of estimating time since death in skeletal remains, postmortem changes in human compact bones were examined by microradiography and electron microscopy. The UV-fluorescence of the peripheral zone of compact bone was also examined by microscopic spectrophotometry. Microradiographic examination revealed no morphological changes in bones left in the open air for long periods, except one of 15 years since death. In bones left in the soil, vacuoles of 5-10 microns diameter, which contained a honeycomb-like structure formed by small vacuoles of 0.5-1 microns diameter, were found in the peripheral zone of the substantia compacta approximately 5 years since death, and in bones of 6 years or more, this change extended to the mid-zone. In bones left in the sea for 4-5 years, vacuoles of 5-10 microns diameter were observed in the outer peripheral zone of the substantia compacta. The relative intensity of UV-fluorescence in bones dwindled with time since death...

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Backspatter From Experimental Close-Range Shots To The Head. I. Macrobackspatter.

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Abstract

Backspatter is the ejection of biological material from a gunshot entrance wound against the line of fire. This phenomenon was investigated experimentally in transverse gunshots to the heads of calves (n = 9) using two types of 9 mm Parabellum ammunition from shooting distances of 0-10 cm. The resulting bloodstains were documented on white paper placed horizontally 60 cm below the impact site. In this report the analysis was restricted to stains with a diameter > 0.5 mm. Backspatter was documented after every gunshot. The number of stains varied from 31-324 per gunshot and appeared to be independent of the shooting distance. The maximum distance droplets travelled varied from 72-119 cm. The majority of droplets accumulated between 0 and 50 cm. The number of droplets and the distances travelled should be higher in man for anatomical reasons. The direction a single droplet can take comprises every possible angle between the most tangential ones to the skin surface. ...

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Estimation Of Time Since Death By Heat-Flow Finite-Element Model Part II: Application To Non-Standard Cooling Conditions And Preliminary Results In Practical Casework.

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Abstract

The present paper is part of a study investigating the application of the Finite-Element-Method to temperature-based death time determination. Part I introduced a three-dimensional Finite-Element model of the human body containing different tissue compartments with different thermal tissue properties. The initial temperature distribution is modelled inhomogeneously with a gradient between core and shell. Boundary conditions such as heat loss by convection or radiation as well as heat gain by supravital energy production or irradiation can be modelled. One model parameter, the decrease rate of the supravital energy production, was calibrated using the empirical model by Marshall and Hoare. Validation was successful using the Marshall and Hoare model as well for standard cooling situations....

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Estimation of Time Since Death by Heat-Flow Finite-Element Model. Part I: Method, Model, Calibration and Validation.

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Abstract

The determination of the time since death which often repr esents the presumed time of an offence plays an important role in medico-legal practice. In the early postmortem phase analyses of postmortem cooling provide the most accurate estimates. Empirical models of postmortem cooling are methodically restricted to standard conditions while heat flow models can in principle be applied to any complex cooling situations. The main problem having so far prevented heat flow models from being used in practice was the difficulty of solving the heat transfer equation for complex geometrical, initial and boundary conditions. This problem is now overcome by using the Finite-Element-Method as a numerical procedure. The study presents a three-dimensional Finite-Element-Model of the human body containing various tissue compartments with different thermal tissue properties. The initial temperature field is modelled inhomogeneously with a temperature gradient between body core and shell. Heat loss by conduction, convection and radiation as well as heat...

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The Reliability Of Forensic Osteology — A Case In Point: Case Study

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Abstract

The medico-legal investigation of skeletons is a trans-disciplinary effort by forensic scientists as well as physical anthropologists. The advent of DNA extraction and amplification from bones and teeth has led to the assumption that morphological assessment of skeletal remains might soon become obsolete. But despite the introduction and success of molecular biology, the analysis of skeletal biology will remain an integral part of the identification process. This is due to the fact, that the skeletal record allows relatively fast and accurate inferences about the identity of the victim. Moreover, a standard biological profile may be established to effectively narrow the police investigator’s search parameters. The following study demonstrates how skeletal biology may collaborate in the forensic investigation and support DNA fingerprinting evidence.

In this case, the information gained from standard morphological methods about the unknown person’s sex, age and heritage immediately led the police to suspect, that the remains...

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Types of Injuries and Interrelated Conditions of Victims and Assailants in Attempted and Homicidal Strangulation

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Abstract:

The injuries of victims surviving strangulation were separated into six distinct types characteristic for strangulation, with one hand, with two hands from the front, with two hands from behind, by pressing the larynx with two thumbs, by ligature, and by putting the forearm or the elbow region around the neck. These types of injuries could also be recognized on the murdered victims. Besides the signs of strangulation, 43% of the surviving victims had head injuries. If the strangulation was attempted in connection with rape, the body injuries were usually not severe, but self-defence injuries were seen in 73% of the cases. The body injuries of the victims of maltreatment and murder were severe but self-defence injuries were seen only in 20% and 30% respectively. Conjunctival petechiae were seen on 14 out of 79 surviving victims but only 8 of them became unconscious and only 4 experienced sphincter incontinence, which suggests that the...

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Problems Associated With The Diagnosis Of Vitality In Burned Bodies

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Abstract

The most important signs of vitality in burned bodies are soot deposits in the respiratory tract, the esophagus and the stomach as well as elevated CO-Hb values in the blood. But these findings show only that a person was exposed to fire fumes while alive; they are no indicator for vital heat exposure. As the external findings in burned bodies are often not very conclusive due to postmortem consumption by the fire, the internal findings are all the more important. Macroscopic signs that hot fumes were inhaled may be edematous swelling and vesicular detachment of the mucosa in the pharynx, the larynx and/or the upper section of the esophagus. As histological changes in the respiratory tract soot deposits, vesicular detachment of the epithelium, hyperemia and edema of the tracheal and bronchial mucosa as well as increased secretion of mucus have been described. These findings may partly be absent although...

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Forensic Science Wound Simulation Kit

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Forensic Science Wound Simulation Kit, Product Details:

Simulaids proudly introduces the next generation forensic wound simulation training kit. This basic trauma evidence-gathering unit contains a series of wounds created specifically for teaching crime scene analysis and forensic scene reconstruction. The details in the wounds are designed to determine type of weapon, direction of force, and other related details that only come with realistic trauma reproduction.

This innovative Forensic Science Wound Simulation Kit contains carefully sculpted models of injuries taken from actual victim's wounds and reviewed by forensic education professionals insuring real scene representations of trauma commonly found on violent crime victims. This Forensic Science Wound Simulation Kit is a must for any applied program of wound study. Materials in this kit will provide first time exposure to the novice as well as continued training for the professional already in the field.

From simple puncture wounds associated with sharp instrument trauma to...

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