Forensic Medicine Flashcards
- ______crime-solving: relating to the application of science to decide questions arising from crime or litigation
•[Mid-17th century. From Latin 2. ____ “of legal proceedings,” originally “of the forum (as a place of discussion),”
- fo·ren·sic
2. forensis
Branch of medical science which deals with the application of medical knowledge to elucidate legal problems
•“Forum”
•All branches of medicine can have forensic aspect.
•The main objective is the TRUTH based on the evidence.
Forensic medicine
= in 1975 found bamboo pieces from Qin dynasty dating 220BC w/c had info on rules and regulations for examining injuries
China
= Code of Hammurabi (king of Babylon) w/c dates 2200BC about rights and duties of physicians including malpractice
Iraq
= laws of Manu dating 10BC about competencies of witnesses in courts
India
= papyri dating 4th century AD about forensic medical examination or investigation
Roman Egypt
FUNCTIONS OF MEDICO-LEGAL DIVISION
AUTOPSY •PHYSICAL EXAMINATION •ANTHROPOLOGY •ODONTOLOGY •HISTOPATHOLOGY •SEROLOGY •DNA •SOCO •COURT DUTY •RESEARCH, LECTURES
- Conducts physical examination on living persons (7 working days)
- Conducts genital examination to determine sexual abuse and time of infliction of injury.
- Conducts physical examination persons involved in physical injury cases to determine the presence and extent of injuries
- Conducts autopsies to determine the exact cause, manner, mechanism and approximate time of death. (7 working days)
- Conducts exhumation to determine the cause of death and identity of persons
Medico-Legal Officer
•Examination of human dentition and applying the characteristics in identification of individuals (5 working days)
Odontological Examination
•To determine the cause of death thru microscopic tissue examination (28 workings days)
Histopathological Examination
- To determine presence of human blood,type and characteristics
- To determine the presence of semen (4 working days)
Serological Examination
- Conducts SOCO processing to identify, collect, examine, and present before the courts evidence at the crime scene
- Conducts Field Laboratory Work
- Appears and testifies in court as expert witness
- Lectures to different police/military institutions, government agencies and private/public schools
- Orients and trains new personnel and on-the-job trainees on the mission, functions and capabilities of the division;
Medico-Legal Officer
MEDICO-LEGAL DEATHS
•1. VIOLENT DEATHS -accidents - suicides - homicides •2. SUSPICIOUS DEATHS •3. SUDDEN UNEXPECTED DEATHS/MEDICALLY UNEXPLAINED DEATHS •4. UNATTENDED DEATHS •5. DEATH IN CUSTODY •6. POISONING •7. POSSIBLE THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH •8. DEATH RELATED TO EMPLOYMENT •9. DEATH ASSOCIATED TO THERAPEUTIC AND DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURE •10. UNLAWFUL TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY •11. BODIES TO BE CREMATED •12. UNCLAIMED CADAVERS •13. SUSPICIOUS CHILD DEATHS •14. UNEXPECTED DEATH OF PUBLIC OFFICIAL
Five categories of medico-legal cases
memorize
- Violent deaths
- Suspicious deaths
- Sudden and unexpected
- Unattended death
- Death in custody
Objectives of medico-legal examination of a body are:
- To determine the cause of death
- To determine the manner of death
- Estimate the time of death
- To document all findings
- To determine or to exclude other factors
- To collect trace evidence in criminal cases
- To positively identify a body
- To testify in court
- Interpret findings
•Comprehensive study of a dead body, performed by a trained physician employing recognized dissection procedure and techniques.
•Removal of tissues for further examination
read!
Autopsies
Kinds of autopsies
ok
- Hospital or non-official autopsy
* Medico-legal or official autopsy
Kinds of autopsies
–Consent from relatives
•Spouse, descendants of the nearest degree, ascendants of nearest degree, brothers and sisters (decreasing order)
A. HOSPITAL/ NON-OFFICIAL AUTOPSY
Purpose:
•Determine cause of death
•Provide clinical correlation of diagnosis and clinical symptoms
•Determine the effectiveness of therapy
•Study natural course of the disease process
•Educating students and physicians
HOSPITAL/ NON-OFFICIAL AUTOPSY
–Dead body belongs to the state for protection of public interest
•All that needs to be turned over to the next of kin would be burial of the deceased
MEDICO-LEGAL or OFFICIAL AUTOPSY
–Purpose:
•Determine cause, manner and time of death
•Recovering, identifying and preserving evidentiary material
•Providing interpretation and correlation of facts and circumstances related to death
•Providing a factual, objective medical report for law enforcement, prosecution and defense agencies
•Separating death due to disease and death due to external cause
MEDICO-LEGAL or OFFICIAL AUTOPSY
Starts in the morgue Focuses on the internal findings Determines cause of death Determines prognosis ok
Hospital Autopsy
- Starts in the crime scene
- Focuses on the external and internal findings
- Determines cause / manner/ mechanism of death
- Clothes included in the autopsy
- R.I.P. of evidence
- Determines identity
ok
Forensic/Medico-legal Autopsy
When shall an autopsy be performed on a dead body
SEC 98 (B) P.D. 856, Code of Sanitation
ok
- Whenever required by special laws
- Upon order of a competent court, a mayor and a provincial or city fiscal
- Upon written request of police authorities
- Whenever the solicitor general, provincial or city fiscal as authorized by existing laws shall deem it necessary to take possession of the remains and determine cause of death
Persons who are authorized to perform autopsies and dissections
repeat
Health officers
•Medical officers of the law enforcement agencies
•Members of the medical staff of accredited hospitals
Disease or injury that results in the individual dying.
ok
Cause, Manner, Mechanism
Cause of Death:
How the cause of death came about.
repeat
Manner of Death
a. Suicide
b. Homicide
c. Accident
d. Natural
e. Undetermined
physiological derangement.
ok
- Mechanism of Death:
- Circumstances
- witnesses
- investigators
- history
- the scene
- medical records - Examination of Body
- search!
- Laboratory test
- ballistics
- toxicology
- paraffin
3 steps in medico-legal investigation
- Document first- photos, sketches
- Minimal handling of the body
- Protect the hands- use paper bag
- Wrap the body in white clean sheet/ cadaver bag
- Encircle the injection sites
- In the hospital, don’t remove tubes
- Document the location, number of injuries
- Medical records/ procedures done must accompany the body
Con’t
9. In the morgue, must log the case, include
Who brought the body, what time, who received it
10. Don’t wash the body! Examining the clothing is an important part of autopsy.
11. Photo before and after cleaning the body.
Re-examine after cleaning.
12. X-ray: GSW and child abuse
13. Photo with ruler each injury.
14. Internal examination-autopsy proper
15. Lab test: toxicology, histology, neuropathology,
microbiology, serology, ballistics
16. Lastly, fingerprint and palm print
ok
Handling of bodies
– age/sex, race, physique, height, nourishment
–Congenital malformations
–Brief description of clothing
–General description of body state
•Degree of rigor/livor mortis
•Hair (length and color), facial hair, alopecia
•Eye appearance, eye color, teeth, dental plates, scars , tattoos, old injuries unrelated to death, evidence of recent medical intervention
Autopsy Report
I. External Examination
- external and internal injuries
- GSW: assign number, location, characteristics, trajectory
- pertinent negatives
- entrance and exit
- describe the slug, location
- all bullets should be recovered
Autopsy Report
II. Evidence of Injuries
-weight of organ is important, dimensions of organs not needed.
Autopsy Report III. Internal Examination ... IV. Microscopic Examination V. Toxicology VI. Findings VII. Opinion
-Blood
-Semen
-Hair
-Tissue
-Fingernails
-Bite marks
-Saliva
ok
physical Evidence
a. Biological evidence
-clothing
-bullets
-fibers
-paint
-glass
-soil
ok
physical Evidence
B. Non-biological evidence
Manner of death that must be autopsied
1, Death by violence
- accidental death
- Sudden death of person who are apparently in good health
- suicide
Cause, Manner, Mechanism
Gunshot wound?
Stab wound?
blunt force?
ok
Cause of death
Cause, Manner, Mechanism
Massive hemorrhage?
peritonitis
septicemia
hemorrhage
mechanism of death
Physical Evidence
a. Biological evidence
B. Non-biological evidence
I. Factors used in estimating time of death
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- livor mortis
- rigor mortis
- algor mortis
- vitreous (eye) potassium
- stomach contents
- environmental factors
(post mortem lividity)
livor mortis
(muscle stiffening)
rigor mortis
(body temp)
algor mortis
(eye)
vitreous potassium
Philippine Criteria of Brain Death
ok
I. An individual who has sustained:
A. Irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions; or
B. Irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem
postmortem lividity Due to settling of blood by gravity on dependent areas of body If pressed against hard surface - pale coloration is seen Reddish, purplish blue color Begins in \_\_\_mins Intensifies over time May result in post mortem petechiae Its not a contusion Livor vs contusion? ok
LIVOR MORTIS
30 mins
LIVOR MORTIS
Up to 6 hpm
Complete shifting
6-12 hpm
Incomplete shifting
Over 12 hpm
No shifting
pale coloration
lividity
Stiffening of the body after death
Due to postmortem muscle contraction
Depletion of ATP > stable complex of actin and myosin
begins within ___ hours after death
jaw>face>upper ext > lower ext
_______ – full rigor mortis
RIGOR MORTIS
2 hours
6-12 hours
RIGOR MORTIS
Lost due to decomposition
Temperate climates – persists for 36-48 hours
Warm climates – persists less than ____hours
Cold weather – persists for several days
Cadaveric spasm-rare
24 hours rigor
Algor mortis \_\_\_\_\_\_degrees Not accurate if used solely Body cooling is not uniform Does not follow a linear pattern Fastest during first 2 hours Body habitus may influence rate of cooling
____ cool faster due to body mass/surface area ratio
Higher in girls
____ cools at lower rate
35.6°C - 38.2°C
Infants
Obese
warm and not stiff
less than < 3 HRS.
warm and stiff
BET. 3-8 HRS.
cold and stiff
BET. 8-36 HRS.
cold and not stiff
> 36 HRS.
Determined by degree and rapidity of decomposition
Accelerated decomposition raises ____ level
Time is only one factor so unreliable solely
Vitreous Potassium
potassium
STOMACH CONTENTS
Gastric emptying varies from person to person, amount of meal and time of the day
Half gastric emptying time: ___ hrs
Stress will delay digestion
4 hours
Size of the last meal The stomach usually starts to empty within 10 minutes after the first mouthful has entered. light meal - \_\_\_\_hrs medium sized meal - \_\_\_\_\_ heavy meal \_\_\_\_\_
1 1/2 to 2 hrs
3 to 4 hrs
4 to 6 hrs
Insect activity- from egg stage to adult stage.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
Autolysis: - aseptic breakdown
- pancreas
Putrefaction: breakdown due to bacteria
- 1st sign is greenish color of LQ abdomen
- greenish-black color of face/neck
- swelling
- protruded eyes and tongue
- purge fluid
Gas formation- slippage of skin with blister and marbling ( rxn of hgb and hydrogen sulfide). Skin from green to black.
Hair will slip from the scalp
brain: liquefied
Decomposition: after 24hrs in hot weather while slower process in a wk or 2 in temperate climates
Skeletonization: a week to years
Adipocere: fats will undergo fatty acid transformation
DECOMPOSITION
Rigor mortis present all over. Hypostasis well-developed and fixed. Greenish discoloration showing over the caecum.
CHRONOLOGICAL SEQUENCE OF PUTREFACTIVE CHANGES OCCURING IN TROPICAL REGIONS
12 hours
Rigor mortis absent all over. Green discoloration over whole abdomen and spreading to the chest. Abdomen distended with gases.
CHRONOLOGICAL SEQUENCE OF PUTREFACTIVE CHANGES OCCURING IN TROPICAL REGIONS
24 hours
Ova of flies seen. Trunk bloated. Face discolored and swollen. Blisters present. Moving maggots seen.
ok
CHRONOLOGICAL SEQUENCE OF PUTREFACTIVE CHANGES OCCURING IN TROPICAL REGIONS
48 hours
Whole body grossly swollen and disfigured. Hair and nails loose. Tissues soft and discolored.
CHRONOLOGICAL SEQUENCE OF PUTREFACTIVE CHANGES OCCURING IN TROPICAL REGIONS
72 hours