The American journal of forensic medicine and pathology
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Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Jun 2003
Comparative StudyMortality of children in the Transkei region of South Africa.
This study attempted to unfold, perhaps for the first time, the problem of childhood mortality resulting from trauma in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. This study was carried out in the Umtata and Ngqeleni magisterial districts, which have a combined population of about 400,000. Most people there have very few resources and have historically relied on money repatriated by migrant workers. ⋯ Forty-one percent of the child trauma deaths were due to intentional injuries, usually murder. It is recommended that the government set targets and put into place strategies for the reduction of pediatric deaths due to trauma. The different deaths so called "rule of reversal" could be considered as an indicator of social health.
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Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Jun 2003
Case ReportsFatal intravenous injection of potassium in hospitalized patients.
We describe 4 cases of fatal intravenous injection of potassium in the hospital setting. These cases illustrate the subtlety of findings in such deaths and remind the forensic pathologist to consider this type of event in sudden, unexpected death of hospitalized patients.
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Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Jun 2003
Case ReportsCase report of a homicide by a shotgun loaded with unusual ammunition.
Reported is the case of a man killed by a neighbor with a shotgun loaded with a unusual ammunition. The cartridge contained several shots chained together by metallic wires. ⋯ The joined pellets produce a wound with features that are different from those of a wound made by a regular load of pellets. Several interpretive problems are caused by the unknown number of pellets contained in the shell and the effects of the wire holding the shot together.
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Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Jun 2003
Case ReportsReconstruction of the angle of shot by using computed radiography of the head.
In a case of murder by a single .22 caliber bullet fragmented in the head, determination of the trajectory was a key issue in identifying which of 2 windows, 1 of which was associated with 2 suspects, was the site of fire. For this purpose, we processed the computed tomography of the victim's head by using a radiation therapy planning system called Plato, which is routinely used in radiation oncology. This tool provided a 3-dimensional reconstruction of the cranio-cerebral lesions and a spatial location of bullet and bone fragments. In this article is described the more intuitive relationship with forensic and ballistic data obtained from the 3-dimensional visualization and the physical and mathematical analysis used to calculate the angle of shot.