Tsokos Forensic Pathology Reviews 5

1. Auflage 2008
ISBN: 978-1-59745-110-9
Verlag: Humana Press
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 292 Seiten

Reihe: Medicine

In this new volume of the globally recognized Forensic Pathology Reviews, Dr. Michael Tsokos has gathered chapters from the top experts in the field to reveal both the applied and scientific areas of expertise along the broad spectrum of forensics studies. Volume 5 piques the mind as leading forensic pathologists from the United States and around the world offer advanced insight into death caused environmental conditions, trauma, neuropathology, natural causes, and ballistics. The authors of this volume further their exploration as they impart research related to identification, serial murder, histopathology, and age estimation. While unveiling unsurpassed and cutting-edge knowledge, Forensic Pathology Reviews, Volume 5 will also inspire emerging forensic scientists to immerse themselves in innovative research.

Zielgruppe

Professional/practitioner

Autoren/Hrsg.

Tsokos, Michael

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Death from Environmental Conditions.- Death Due to Hypothermia Morphological Findings, their Pathogenesis and Diagnostic Value.- Trauma.- Fatal Falls from Height.- Understanding Craniofacial Blunt Force Injury: A Biomechanical Perspective.- Electrocution and the Autopsy.- Forensic Neuropathology.- Central Nervous System Alterations in Alcohol Abuse.- The Medicolegal Evaluation of Excited Delirium.- Death from Natural Causes.- Myocardial Bridging: Is it Really a Cause of Sudden Cardiac Death?.- Nontraumatic Intramuscular Hemorrhages Associated with Death Caused by Internal Diseases.- Ballistics.- Forensic Ballistics.- Identification.- Unique Characteristics at Autopsy that may be Useful in Identifying Human Remains.- The Forensic and Cultural Implications of Tattooing.- Serial Murder.- The Interaction, Roles, and Responsibilities of the FBI Profiler and the Forensic Pathologist in the Investigation of Serial Murder.- Forensic Histopathology.- Forensic Histopathology.- Forensic Age Estimation.- Forensic Age Estimation of Live Adolescents and Young Adults.

Leseproben

First of all, the location of the death scene can already carry some valuable information regarding the classification of the fatality. Falls or jumps from places where people normally do not go, like house roofs, cliffs or bridges where no pedestrians are allowed, are highly suspicious of suicide [3, 4]. Furthermore, descents from heights that happen from windows of psychiatric wards are likely to be suicidal in nature. Suicides also often occur at peoples’ homes, as do homicides, while accidental falls from a height have been shown to happen rarely at the victims’ homes and more often at their work-places [3, 5].

Especially at dangerous work-places like building sites, most falls from height will be accidental, although, of course, a suicidal or even a homicidal fall can never be excluded at first sight. It has been demonstrated that higher buildings are preferred if someone jumps from a height with suicidal intention, whereas in accidents the heights are more randomly distributed [3, 4]. This observation is in line with the finding that the victims are usually dead when found if the manner of death is suicide, whereas more victims survive at first in accidental falls [5]. Several studies indicate that falls from less than four stories can be survived, whereas falls from over seven stories are almost exclusively fatal [6, 7, 8, 9].

Expectedly, working accidents have been demonstrated to occur exclusively at working hours, whereas suicides often happen in the evening or at nighttime [3]. Suicide notes are always clearly indicative of a suicidal fall, but they are certainly not found in all suicidal falls from height. Frequencies range from under 10% to approximately 25% and are thus less frequently found in suicidal falls than in suicides by other causes [3, 5, 11].

Signs of a fight at the death scene always suggest homicide. In accidental falls, scene findings might suggest that the person had been working in a dangerous position prior to the fall, for example cleaning windows. Signs of substance use prior to the fall, like empty bottles, syringes and the like, might suggest an accidental fall due to a substance-related lack of coordination or over-estimation of the person’s physical abilities (for example under the influence of cocaine or psychedelic drugs). The barrier preventing an accidental fall, like windows, railings, fences etc., should always be thoroughly documented.

An accident is unlikely if this barrier is higher than the person’s center of gravity [4]. In suicides, chairs or ladders might be present as means to get over the barrier. Likewise, the security measures preventing falls at building sites should be thoroughly investigated. Although falls through closed windows would in most cases suggest an accidental fall, they can also be suicidal as observed in a previous study [5].

Some authors suggest that the distance of the body from the jumping site can be used as an additional tool to determine the manner of death. Studies have demonstrated that in intentional jumps the distance to the jumping site is likely to be higher than in accidental falls [11, 12].