Chapter 5

• Chinese investigator Song Ci was the first forensic scientist that in 1247 wrote a book (Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified)
• Inspired by Shen Kuo (1031–1095) who dissected the bodies of criminals in hopes of proving wrong theories about the human anatomy.
• Dissection will not be supported in the UK until the 1700s.
• History of Forensic Science is basically the history of death investigations.
• Undetermined is defined for death certification purposes forcases that have very little available information about the circumstances surrounding death (e.g., partial skeletal remains) or where known information equally supports, or conflicts with, more than one manner of death.
• Pending is defined for death certification purposes as atemporary designation for cause and/or manner when additional investigation, information and/or test results are required for certification. Pending is generally amended as soon as additional information becomes available.
• Cause of death is a disease or injury that starts the chain of events that leads to death.
• Histology is the study of tissue under a microscope.
• Medical Examiner in the US

  • Appointed and can only be removed for cause
  • Qualifications: medical degree, with training and certification in forensic pathology
  • Duties: to officially investigate the death of a person
• Cause of Death (Jonbenet Ramsey): asphyxiation due to strangulation

  Manner of death: homicide
• Cause of death: disease or injury that starts the chain f events that leads to death
• Examples of cause of death

  1. man shot twice during a robbery
  2. undergoes surgery to repair his wounds
  3. develops pneumonia while in the hospital
  4. organs shut down one by one, dies of heart failure
  5. the man has a history of lung and heart disease

  • cause of death: organ failure complicated by preexisting conditions
  • manner of death: homicide (gunshot wounds)
• Manner of death describes a way in which death occurs.
• Categories of manners of death:

  • natural
  • accidental
  • homicidal
  • suicidal
  • undetermined
  • pending
• Natural is defined for death certification purposes as a death due solely to an illness or medical issue not influenced by external factors
• Suicide is defined for death certification purposes as a death from self-inflicted injury with evidence of intent to die
• Homicide is defined for death certification purposes as the action of one person directly causing the death of another. All murders are homicides, not all homicides are murder. An example may be an unintentional firearms-related hunting death.
• Undetermined is defined for death certification purposes for cases that have very little available information about the circumstances surrounding death (e.g., partial skeletal remains) or where known information equally supports, or conflicts with, more than one manner of death
• Pending is defined for death certification purposes as a temporary designation for cause and/or manner when additional investigation, information and/or test results are required for certification. Pending is generally amended as soon as additional information becomes available
• Death is the cessation of brain activity.
• Reversible conditions do not mean death

  • Heart stops (can be restarted)
  • Stops breating (can be restarted, however, the brain loses function slowly as oxygen levels drop with irreversible damage at a certain point)
• Estimate time of death using rigor mortis, livor mortis, and/or algor mortis.
• Rigor mortis: stiffening of muscles

  • chemical reaction of glycogen
  • occurs 4 hours after and lasts up to 24-36 hours
• Livor mortis: discolouration of the body

  • settling of red blood cells
  • occurs 1 hour after and lasts up to 36 hours
  • not always seen
• Algor mortis: cooling of the body

  • nude body in 18-20C, drops 1.5C per hour for the first 8 hours
  • ex. normal body temp is 37C, if dead for 4 hours temperature will be around 31C
• Livor mortis starts 20-30 minutes after death

  • settling of red blood cells (pooling of blood)
  • becomes fixed after 12 hours then slowly disappears
  • not always seen
• Glaister equation gives an estimate of hours since death using rectal temperature
• Algor mortis: cooling of the body can be used to approximate the time of death

  • once decomposition starts, temperature will rise
• Ambient temperature must be 18-20C in order to use the formula

  • higher temps will promote faster decomposition
  • colder temps will cool body faster
  • changes in ambient temp
• Rigor mortis: stiffening of the muscles

  • chemical reaction of glycogen
  • occurs 4-6 horus after and lasts up to 24-36 hours
• Autopsy is human dissection
• Necropsy is animal dissection
• Reviewing Medical History

  • the forensic pathologist must know the circumstances around death (sudden death, unexpected)
  • medical records
  • witnesses or friends of the deceased
  • treatment after death
  • needle incisions (IV or drug use)
  • incised wounds
  • bone fractures (CPR will easily fracture ribs)
• Reviewing Witness Statements

  • aids in determining jurisdiction
  • questions to be answered
  • refuting statements
  • prejudicing judgment
• Scene Examination

  • impractical but invaluable
  • compensate with photographs and impressions
  • questions answered by scene examination:
  • post-injury movement
  • time between injury and death
  • time of unconsciousness, etc
• Autopsy

  • religiously forbidden in judaism, islam, and some christianity
  • next of kin
  • jurisdiction of the coroner or ME
• Steps of Autopsy

  1. review of the clinical history and circumstances of death
  2. external examination of the body
  3. gross dissection, including organ evisceration
  4. review of the microscopic (as appropriate to the case) and laboratory findings
  5. preparation of a written description of gross and microscopic findings
  6. development of an opinion as to the cause of death
  7. clinical-pathologic correlation
  8. review of the autopsy report with a faculty member
• Heart

  • males: 280-340g
  • females: 230-280g
  • high bp will increase the size of the heart
• Viral Autopsy (MRI)

  • some religions do not allow autopsies; however, it is up to the ME to decide if it is required
• Toxicologists

  • blood -> drugs/alcohol
  • usually from the aorta or sometimes from veins for specific drugs
  • urine -> drugs
  • bile from the gallbladder
  • portions of internal organs -> disease