Forensic scientist’s blog

(Source: Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine)

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We are writing to you to add to the tributes which should be voiced on the death of Ivor Doney. How can one describe him adequately? He was a man, a true professional who stood out like a beacon! (Source: Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine)

This book is part of a series of publications on forensic science and medicine produced by Humana Press, the series being edited by the esteemed pathologist and toxicologist Dr. Steven B. Karch. Many of the publications in the series are focused on toxicology but where forensic medicine is concerned the two most prominent works are �?A Physicians Guide to Clinical Forensic Medicine’ edited by Dr. Margaret Stark and this book �?The Forensic Pathology of Trauma’. (Source: Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine)

Abstract: Injury to the male external genitalia is relatively uncommon when compared with other parts of the human body. Trauma to external genitalia could result from accidents involving motor vehicles, power farm machinery, gun shot and stab injuries. We present a rare case of traumatic degloving injury of male external genitalia associated with partial penile amputation and loss of both testes sparing the internal abdominal and pelvic organs, resulting from run over by a heavy vehicle tyre. (Source: Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine)

The article “Cadaveric fungi: Not yet an established forensic tool” written by Menezes et al. states their present knowledge regarding the current position of the forensic mycology in application to the judicial system and we appreciate the same. (Source: Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine)

Abstract: Dog bite-related injuries and fatalities are major public health problem worldwide. The authors present a case of a Japanese Tosa-dog bite-related fatality in an old woman who died from a vertebral arterial laceration with the C5 vertebral fracture. This was an uncommon type of injury that dog bites injured the vertebral artery only without damage to carotid artery. The identity of the Tosa-dog as an offending dog in this case was unsuccessful by a DNA analysis. Then the detection of the offending dog was made by comparisons of the dental casts of the dog with the victim’s wounds.This case report describes making dental cast of the dog, and statistical data on dog-bite incidents in Japan. (Source: Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine)

Abstract: Drowning remains a significant cause of accidental death in young children. The site of drowning varies among communities and is influenced by cultural and geographic factors, including the availability of particular water sources. The drowning deaths of a twin two-year-old brother and sister in a rainwater tank are reported to demonstrate specific issues that may arise. Ladders, vegetation and trellises may provide access to tanks and should be removed. Secure child-proof access points should also be installed, particularly on in-ground tanks (given the ready accessibility of the latter). As there has been a recent trend in Australia to install more domestic rainwater tanks, the number of childhood rainwater tank drownings and near-drownings will need to be monitored by forensic pathologists and child death review committees to ensure that this has not led to the introduction of a new hazard into the home environment. (Source: Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine)

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Abstract: Stab wounds encountered in medico-legal autopsies are usually caused by sharp pointed weapons. Peculiarities of the wound of entry in stab wounds, for example due to the hilt of the weapon, movement of the weapon and sometimes by the hand of the assailant holding the weapon are often described in literature. We report an unusual presentation in a fatal stab injury wherein a single atypical external wound was associated with multiple internal injuries to the organs. The exact cause of such peculiarities can never be accurately determined, rather that can be speculated upon at the time of the autopsy and recorded for the purpose of academic interest. (Source: Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine)

On January 17, 1995 at 5:46 AM, a large earthquake with its epicenter at the northern end of Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture struck with a magnitude of 7.3 on the Richter scale. Its magnitude was originally described as 7.2, but this was later revised to 7.3. This event is generally known as the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. Prior to January 11, 2000, there were said to be 6434 dead and 43,792 injured as a result of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. Many lives were lost, because of this large, unexpected earthquake, and the event was a massive tragedy. Recent years have seen media reports of “solitary deaths”, or instances where single residents of temporary housing in Hyogo Prefecture, which is where victims of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake live, die without anyone noticing. Deaths at 292 residences in Hyogo Prefecture were investigated by prefectural police and deemed to be a “solitary death” from 2000 to 2007; their findings served as the basis for statistics collected and reported by newspapers etc. Based on these statistics, the current study discusses “solitary deaths” after an earthquake and “solitary deaths” in general and it also examines measures to prevent “solitary deaths” in the future. (Source: Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine)

Abstract: This paper describes a newly devised autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) systems for 10 loci (D1S1656, D2S1353, D8S1132, D12S1090, D14S608, D18S535, D19S253, D20S480, D21S226, and D22S689) unlinked to the core STR loci (non-CODIS loci). Of 252 samples taken from the Japanese population, PCR products ranged in length from 107bp to 319bp. No significant deviations from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium were observed at any of the 10 loci. The accumulated power of discrimination and power of exclusion for the 10 loci were 0.999999999998 and 0.99991, respectively. We conclude that the present multiplex system for the 10 non-CODIS loci represents a powerful tool for forensic applications. (Source: Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine)