Journal of forensic and legal medicine
-
Biography Historical Article
The crucifixion of Jesus: review of hypothesized mechanisms of death and implications of shock and trauma-induced coagulopathy.
The crucifixion of Jesus is arguably the most well-known and controversial execution in history. Christian faithful, dating back to the time of Jesus, have believed that Jesus was executed by crucifixion and later returned physically to life again. Others have questioned whether Jesus actually died by crucifixion, at all. ⋯ Each proposed mechanism of Jesus' death will be reviewed. The events of Jesus' execution are described, as they are pertinent to development of shock. Traumatic shock complicated by trauma-induced coagulopathy is proposed as a contributing factor, and possibly the primary mechanism, of Jesus' death by crucifixion.
-
The safety of placing suspects in the prone position following police use of force has been debated extensively, particularly in the context of sudden in-custody death. The proportion of individuals who remain in the prone position following police use of force is not known, nor has the epidemiology of sudden in-custody death in any position after police restraint been documented. Using a consecutive cohort of individuals in whom police used force, we prospectively documented the number of individuals who were placed in a prone versus not-prone position, and the prevalence of sudden in-custody death in either position. ⋯ One subject died in a not-prone position, no subjects died in the prone position. The sudden in-custody death rate following police use of force was low overall (0.08%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.002, 0.44) and the difference in the proportion of subjects who died suddenly in either position was not significant at 0.14%, (95%CI = -0.8, 0.9). Our results indicate that prone positioning was common and was not associated with death in our cohort of consecutive subjects following police use of force.
-
Recently, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) of the United States of America convened a meeting of experts in the area of Excited Delirium Syndrome (ExDS). The history of ExDS, the clinical presentation, the pathophysiology, differential diagnoses and management options were discussed. ⋯ It is important for law enforcement, medical and other healthcare professionals to be familiar with current knowledge about the syndrome. This paper summarizes the current state and knowledge of ExDS.
-
Blunt traumatic cardiac rupture is a relatively uncommon diagnosis and is usually associated with a high mortality rate. A case of delayed cardiac rupture is described in an elderly person who sustained blunt chest trauma following a fall into a roadside ditch. ⋯ Acute cardiac tamponade resulting from rupture of the right ventricle is a serious and life threatening state. A high index of suspicion about the possibility of delayed cardiac rupture is required during the management of a case of polytrauma where significant cardiac findings can be masked by the presence of other injuries.
-
Multiple self-inflicted gunshot wounds are rare and usually present a challenge to the forensic pathologist in determining the manner of death. Determining a person's capability to act following a gunshot wound can be of major importance in crime scene reconstruction and in differentiation between homicide and suicide. Questions concerning the possibility of physical activity following a given gunshot wound are repeatedly raised in court. ⋯ Third case was a combination of two gunshots to the head and chest. In the text, we focus on the victim's ability to act after the first shot, with regards to the character and localization of the gunshot wound. Also, we focus on findings that are typical for a repeated suicidal shot.