Forensic science international
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An impact incurred by the movable head may bring about a change in intracranial pressure and this change may play an important part in the occurrence of the cerebral contusion. We have carried out the following experiments to determine whether the intracranial pressure change was attributed to an accelerated motion of the head or to a skull deformation. In the blow experiment in which the head was accelerated, a positive peak in the intracranial pressure was recorded immediately after impact at the impact site and a negative one at a site opposite the impact. ⋯ The modal analysis revealed an inbending in the frontal and occipital regions of the skull and an outbending in the parietal and temporal regions immediately after impact, followed by a reverse deformation. Regarding the intracranial pressure change, positive pressures were recorded in the frontal and occipital regions immediately after impact, followed by a negative one. This study demonstrated that the positive and negative peaks were caused by the accelerated motion of the head, and that the curve of the intracranial pressure changes contained harmonics which were caused by the deformation of the skull.
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Determinations of blood cyanide and carboxyhemoglobin concentrations were performed in 18 victims found dead in buildings after fires during a 2-year period. The results indicated that 50% of the victims had been exposed to toxic levels of hydrogen cyanide and 90% to toxic levels of carbon monoxide. ⋯ In one case a lethal blood cyanide but a non-toxic blood carboxyhemoglobin value was found. It is concluded that carbon monoxide appears to be more important than hydrogen cyanide as a toxic agent in the fire atmosphere, but cyanide poisoning without carbon monoxide poisoning may, under certain circumstances, be the cause of death in fire victims.
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The eyes of fourteen fatally abused children and sixteen control cases were examined histopathologically. Ten of the abused children showed intraocular change. ⋯ The presence of blood cavities within the retina partially supported the hypothesis of traumatic retinoschisis. The control cases of non-abused children rarely showed intraocular hemorrhage.
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One hundred and seventy nine cases of acute poisoning constituting 1.1% of all admissions to the medical unit over 3 years were analysed. Eighty-three per cent of the patients were under 30 years of age and 72% were males. ⋯ The overall mortality was 16%. The results from four other major centres in Sri Lanka are presented for comparison.
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Records of 92 cases of acute organophosphorus (OP) insecticide poisoning were analysed. Of the patients 91% were under 30 years of age and 86% were males. ⋯ In addition to the acute cholinergic features, the other important manifestations were delayed onset respiratory paralysis and delayed polyneuropathy. The overall mortality was 18%.