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Forensics > Chapter 8 - Forensic Medicine > Flashcards

Chapter 8 - Forensic Medicine Flashcards

1
Q

Coroner

A
  • Official whose job is to investigate deaths
  • Usually an elected official w/o medical or forensic training
  • Pronounce death and determine TOD, scene investigation, take custody of body, ID the deceased, notify next of kin, death certificates, reports
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2
Q

Autopsy

A

Postmortem examination of the deceased in an effort to learn the cause and manner of death

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3
Q

Accidental Death

A

Arise from a violent, unexpected death that wasn’t caused by a natural, intentional or criminal act by another person

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4
Q

Contributing cause of death/Proximal cause of death

A

Disease or injury that started the chain of events that ultimately leads to the death of a person

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5
Q

Algor Mortis

A

Cooling of the body after death

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6
Q

Cause of Death

A

Specific medical reason, agent or event that causes a death

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7
Q

Abdomen

A

Stores important organs such as…
- Liver
- Gall bladder
- Appendix
- Spleen
- Stomach
- Colon
- Bladder

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8
Q

Abrasion

A

A wound caused by rubbing or scraping an object across the skin, usually involving just the outer layers of the skin.

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9
Q

Alzheimer’s Disease

A

Progressive mental degeneration in later life due to a degeneration of brain tissue

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10
Q

Anode

A

Positively charged electrode

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11
Q

Antemortem

A

Prior to death

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12
Q

Artery

A
  • Part of the circulatory system
  • Muscular, elastic tubes carry the blood away from the heart to the body
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13
Q

Asphyxia

A

Medical condition arising from a shortage of oxygen to tissues

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14
Q

Biomedical Imaging

A

Various techniques developed to visualize internal organs, structures and tissues, often noninvasively

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15
Q

Bladder

A

Organ that stores urine until it is released during urination.

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16
Q

Blunt Force Trauma

A

Wound trauma caused by the impact of a non-penetrating object

(ie, a bat or a car)

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17
Q

Brain

A
  • Controlling organ of the central nervous system
  • Controls thought, memory, emotion, touch, motor skills, vision, breathing, temperature, hunger and every process that regulates the body
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18
Q

Cathode

A

Negatively charged electrode

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19
Q

Circulatory System

A
  • System that transports blood and lymph throughout the body
  • Includes heart, lungs, arteries, veins, etc
  • Carries oxygen, nutrients, hormones to cells, and removes waste products (CO2)
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20
Q

Compartment Syndrome

A
  • An increase in pressure within a compartment of the body with restricted space
  • Pressure within a compartment (ie: the brain, arms) increases and restricts blood flow to the area and can damage the muscles/ nearby nerves
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21
Q

Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT)

A
  • Provides 3D X-rays
  • A large # of 2D X-rays are taken and stacked in order by a computer to create a 3D image of the structure(s).

Think slices of bread

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22
Q

Contact Wound

A
  • Occur when the muzzle of the gun is either placed directly on or very close to the skin.
  • Often leaves visible soot and searing of the skin with a possible muzzle impression left behind on the skin.
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23
Q

Contusion

A
  • Type of blunt force trauma
  • Medical term for a bruise
  • Caused by an impact that damages blood vessels and causes them to leak into surrounding tissue
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24
Q

Coronary Arteries

A

Blood vessels that supply blood to the heart tissues themselves.

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25
Q

Cranium

A

the skull

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26
Q

Decedent

A

the person who has died

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27
Q

Distal

A

A part of the body that is farther away from the center of the body than another part

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28
Q

Drowning

A

Death by submersion/immersion of water

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29
Q

Edema

A
  • Medical term for swelling
  • Caused by fluid trapped in the body’s tissues
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30
Q

Electromagnetic Radiation

A

Radiation that consists of waves composed of oscillating perpendicular
electric and magnetic fields.

(includes visible, infrared, ultraviolet, X-ray, and radio)

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31
Q

Embolism

A

Obstruction of a blood vessel.

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32
Q

Entrance/Exit Wound

A

The location of the entry and exit points as a projectile travels through a body

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33
Q

Gall Bladder

A

Stores bile and releases it into the small intestines when needed

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34
Q

Gunshot

A

A penetrating wound from a high velocity projectile ejected from a firearm or similar device.

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35
Q

Heart

A

Organ that pumps the blood through the body’s circulatory system

36
Q

Hematoma

A
  • A pool of mostly clotted blood that forms in an organ, tissue, or body space
  • A blood tumor
37
Q

Homicide

A

The killing of one human being by another, whether by accident or on purpose.

38
Q

Incision

A
  • Cut wound that is longer than wide
  • Caused by drawing a sharp object across the skin
39
Q

Kidney

A
  • Removes waste products and toxins from the body by peeing
  • Filtering system
40
Q

Kinetic Energy

A

Energy in motion

41
Q

Laceration

A
  • Wound that occurs by tearing/pressure splits the skin open
  • Produced uneven wounds
42
Q

Large Intestines

A
  • Absorbs water, salts, and electrolytes from the material that has not been digested yet
  • Made-up of the cecum, colon, rectum, and anal canal
43
Q

Ligature

A
  • Something used for tying or binding something
  • Thread, rope or cord.
44
Q

Liver

A
  • Produces bile
  • Stores glycogen, vitamins, minerals
  • Breaks down toxins
  • Protein synthesis and enzyme activation
45
Q

Lividity

A

Bluish-purple discoloration of skin after death

46
Q

Livor Mortis

A

When blood settles to the lowest points of the body after death

47
Q

Lungs

A
  • Responsible for oxygenating and removing
    CO2 from the blood
  • Warms air to match body temp and moisturizes it to the proper humidity level
  • Protects your airways from harmful substances and irritants
48
Q

MRI

A
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Creates images of the organs and tissues in your body
  • Non-invasive and is not as harmful as x-rays
49
Q

Manner of Death

A
  • The circumstances that resulted in a death
  • Categorized into homicide, suicide, accidental, natural, undetermined
50
Q

Medical Examiner

A

A trained medical physician charged with investigating deaths to determine the cause and manner of death

51
Q

Medicolegal

A

Intersection of medical and legal practice (AKA jurisprudence)

52
Q

Natural Death

A

A death caused by natural processes, such as disease or old age

53
Q

Pancreas

A

Produces and regulates insulin (blood sugar levels)

54
Q

Pathology

A

The study of diseases and how they change or harm tissues.

55
Q

Perimortem

A

At or about the time of death

56
Q

Permanent Cavity Damage

tissue crush

A

Injury and tissue damage from the direct impact of a projectile on tissue along its path as it travels through the tissue.

57
Q

Positron Emission Tomography

A
  • Used to evaluate organs/tissues for the presence of disease or other conditions
  • Most commonly used to detect cancer
58
Q

Postmortem

A

After death

59
Q

Postmortem Interval

PMS

A

Time elapsed between the actual death and the time that the body was found

60
Q

Proximal

A

Structures closest to the center

61
Q

Puncture wound

A

A cut or piercing wound that is wider than long, caused by a stabbing motion with a pointed object.

62
Q

Radiograph

A

Image produced on a film from radiation passing through an object (the body, organ structures, etc)

63
Q

Radiology

A

The use of radiation to diagnose or treat disease.

64
Q

Reproductive System

A
  • Organs involved in sexual reproduction
  • Ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus
  • Testes, penis, scrotum
65
Q

Rigor Mortis

A
  • Stiffening of the muscles and joints in the body after death
  • Smaller muscles stiffen first; then larger muscles
66
Q

Stab Wound

A

A cut or piercing wound that is wider than long, caused by a stabbing motion with a pointed object.

67
Q

Sharp Force Trauma

A

The penetrating injury caused by an object having a sharp edge

68
Q

Small Intestine

A
  • Helps to further digest food coming from the stomach
  • Absorbs nutrients (vitamins, minerals, carbs, fats, proteins)
  • Absorbs water
69
Q

Spleen

A
  • Fights antigens in the blood
  • Contains infection-fighting white blood cells
  • Controls the levels of RBCs, WBCs, and platelets
70
Q

Stomach

A
  • Accepts food from the esophagus
  • Mixes and breaks-down food
  • Sends digested food to small intestine
71
Q

Suicide

A

The action of killing oneself with the intent to die as a result of the action.

72
Q

Taphonomy

A

Deals with how remains decay and are moved, distributed, or disturbed after death.

73
Q

Temporary Cavitation Damage

A
  • Injury and tissue damage that comes from the newly formed cavity behind a projectile
  • Projectile pushes the tissue outward and away from its path
74
Q

Therapeutic Complication

A

A death that occurred due to known and predictable side-effects from appropriate medical procedures.

75
Q

Thoracoabdominal Cavitiy

A

Largest cavity opened during an autopsy

76
Q

Thorax

A
  • Area of the body between the neck and abdomen
  • AKA the chest
  • Contains the heart, ribs, breastbone, spine
77
Q

Ultrasonic Imaging

A

Use of high-frequency sound waves to image internal structures of the body

78
Q

Urinary System

A

The body’s organ systems that are involved in the elimination of urine, including the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra.

79
Q

Vein

A

Blood vessels that carry low-oxygen blood back to the heart for re-oxygenation

80
Q

Virtopsy

Virtual Autopsy

A
  • Non-invasive autopsy method that uses biomedical imaging to take external and internal images of the body
81
Q

X-ray

A

Radiation waves pass through soft tissues and image only the bone structures

82
Q

Y-incison

A

An initial cut to open the body cavity for an autopsy examination

83
Q

What is the difference between manner and mechanism of death?

A
  • Manner: what happened on the outside to cause the death (homicide, suicide, etc)
  • Mechanism: the internal reason (biological cause) of death
84
Q

Skeletal System

A
  • Gives the body it’s shape
  • RBC’s/WBC’s are made in the bone marrow
  • Protects organs
85
Q

6 questions posed during an autopsy

A
  1. Who are you?
  2. When did you become unwell and when did you die?
  3. Where did you get hurt and why did you die?
  4. What was your manner of death?
  5. If violence was involved in your death, was it from suicide, accident, or homicide?
  6. If someone killed you, who did it?

Forensics (19 decks)

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