The American journal of forensic medicine and pathology
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Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Jun 1996
Case ReportsWounding effects of the Winchester Black Talon bullet.
Winchester Ammunition has developed a bullet that was specifically designed to perform better than other hollow-point missiles. The resulting cartridge, the Black Talon bullet offers a low-velocity missile that retains its weight, penetrates even when interrupted by intervening objects, and remains capable of expansion in soft tissue. The bullet causes extensive tissue damage and presents a hazard to those responsible for handling it after expansion.
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Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Mar 1996
Homicide in homosexual victims: a study of 67 cases from the Broward County, Florida, Medical Examiner's office (1982-1992), with special emphasis on "overkill".
Forensic pathologists often state that homosexual homicides are more violent than those with heterosexual victims. Overkill or wounding far beyond that required to cause death is a frequently used descriptor of these deaths. We quantified the number and extent of injuries between homosexual and heterosexual homicide victims to determine whether one group suffered more violence than the other. ⋯ This difference was statistically significant using the Mann-Whitney rank sum test. Homosexual homicides are more violent than heterosexual homicides when one compares the mean number of injuries (fatal sharp, blunt, and total)/case and the extent of injuries on the body. The mean number of stab wounds wounds/case and percentage of cases with multiple causes of death were also greater among the homosexual group, but the differences were not statistically significant.
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Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Sep 1995
Case ReportsOleoresin capsicum (pepper) spray and "in-custody deaths".
Increasing use of oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray devices (i.e., pepper spray, pepper mace, OC, capsaicin) by law enforcement agencies as a means of sublethal force to control suspects has brought into question whether exposure to this noxious irritant (capsaicin) can cause or contribute to unexpected in-custody deaths. Capsaicin stimulates nociceptors in exposed mucous membranes to produce intense pain, particularly involving the conjunctiva, and generates systemic physiologic and behavioral responses consonant with such extreme discomfort. We describe two cases of in-custody death, both associated temporally with the use of pepper spray, to illustrate salient investigative considerations. As with any other in-custody death, a thorough autopsy and toxicologic analysis, coupled with evaluation of the premortem chain of events, postexposure symptomatology, and the extent of natural disease processes, will help to reveal the role of oleoresin capsicum spray as unrelated, contributory, or causative.
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Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Jun 1995
Safety in bullet recovery procedures: a study of the Black Talon bullet.
Bullets or bullet fragments that are recovered during forensic autopsy and examined later as evidence may present hazards to both pathologists and forensic scientists due to sharp edges or jagged projections created by the deformation or fragmentation of a bullet upon impact with its target. The recent introduction of the Black Talon bullet has increased this hazard by its design, which produces a controlled expansion upon target impact that raises six harp edges from its copper jacket. We describe the appearance of the bullet along with methods for detection and recovery that can be applied as universal precautions of safe bullet handling.
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Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Mar 1995
Case ReportsCongenital diaphragmatic hernia. A case of sudden unexpected death in childhood.
A case is reported in which a congenital posterolateral diaphragmatic hernia of the Bochdalek type was the cause of sudden unexpected death in a 22-month-old girl. This case shows that not all late-presenting diaphragmatic hernias have a favorable prognosis.