Metal pins fired from unmodified blank cartridge guns and very small calibre weapons - technical and wound ballistic aspects

Blank cartridge guns are generally regarded as being harmless and are not considered to be firearms in most countries. A comparison of the legal situations in Germany and Austria concerning weapons is given. There have been several reports of serious injuries and even fatalities due to these weapons. Ballistic experiments show that even unmodified blank cartridge guns and very small calibre weapons can fire wire nails and can inflict potentially fatal injuries even at distances of 50 cm. Two serious injuries inflicted by metal pins fired from a blank cartridge gun and a very small calibre weapon are reported. These cases suggest that such weapons should also be considered handguns in the le…

Bone age determination based on the study of the medial extremity of the clavicle

The development of the medial clavicular epiphysis and its fusion with the clavicular shaft have been a subject of medical research since the second decade of this century. Computed tomography provides the imaging modality of choice in analyzing the maturation process of the sternal end of the clavicle. In a retrospective study, we analyzed normal development in 380 individuals under the age of 30 years. The appearance of an epiphyseal ossification center occurred between ages 11 and 22 years. Partial union was found from age 16 until age 26 years. Complete union was first noted at age 22 years and in 100 % of the sample at age 27 years. Based on these data, age-related standardized age dis…

Tod in der Badewanne

Beim Auffinden einer leblosen Person in der Badewanne ist der Notarzt zur Hilfeleistung verpflichtet. Beim Vorliegen sicherer Todeszeichen ist die Todesart in der Regel „ungeklart” oder „nicht-naturlich”. Der Arzt mus in diesen Fallen unverzuglich die Polizei benachrichtigen und dafur Sorge tragen, das am Leichnam sowie am Fundort keine Veranderungen vorgenommen werden. Der Notarzt stellt durch fruhzeitige Einschaltung der Polizei und sorgfaltige Untersuchung des Verstorbenen die Weichen fur eine Klarung des Falles. Hellrote Totenflecke als Hinweis auf eine CO-Intoxikation durfen auf keinen Fall ubersehen werden. Bei Elektrogeraten im Badewasser besteht die Moglichkeit der Selbstgefahrdung.…

Häufigkeit, Altersabhängigkeit und Geschlechtsverteilung des Fersensporns

In 1027 lateral radiograms of the ankle in a Caucasian population, 161 plantar and/or dorsal calcaneal spurs (15.7%) were diagnosed. Plantar spurs were more common than dorsal spurs (11.2 and 9.3% respectively). Prevalence of both spurs increases considerably with the rising age. Dorsal spurs appear slightly earlier than plantar spurs. The spur frequencies are similar in left and right feet. The plantar spurs were significantly (p < 0.0001) more common in women than in men in general, while dorsal spurs were more frequent in men than in women up to the age of 70. The previously reported higher frequencies of plantar and dorsal calcaneal spurs in women than in men are probably a result of a …

Identification of an Unknown Corpse by Means of Computed Tomography (CT) of the Lumbar Spine

For the first time, a case is described in which an unknown corpse is identified by the comparison of antemortem and postmortem computed tomographic (CT) images. A posterolateral disc herniation at L5-S1 on the right side, Schmorl's nodes and a lucency in the ilium were found in identical locations in each case. Additionally there were characteristic morphological similarities in the vertebral bodies, spinous processes, transverse processes and neural arches. In CT identification, as in conventional radiographic identification, one must try to reproduce comparable scanning conditions and images because apparent differences in the roentgenological morphology can occur as a result of differen…

Fatal venous air embolism: proof and volumetry by helical CT

Possible association of sudden infant death with partial complement C4 deficiency revealed by post-mortem DNA typing of HLA class II and III genes

Based on evidence of an increased rate of respiratory infections in sudden infant death (SID) infants as well as the observation of familial occurrence, we analysed in a retrospective study class II and class II genes of the major histocompatibility complex in 40 cases of SID by Southern blot analysis of DNA obtained post mortem from tissue samples. In 24 cases, the parents were interviewed and confirmatory human lymphocyte antigen (HLA) and DNA typing was carried out. Using HLA-DR beta and -DQ beta probes, no evidence of an abnormal HLA-DR frequency distribution in SID infants was detected (P = 0.97). Using DNA probes for the tandemly arranged complement C4 and steroid 21-hydroxylase genes…

Identifizierung unbekannter Leichen durch Röntgenbildvergleich

Between 1987 and 1993, 30 unknown bodies were identified by means of pre- and postmortem radiographs at the Forensic Institute in Mainz. Our experience indicates that radiological identification comprises a useful, rapid and cheap method, at least as valuable as dactyloscopy or odontological comparisons. The ages of available radiographs were up to 25 years; the most suitable regions are the skull (11), pelvis and lumbar spine (6), lower femur and knee (5) and distal leg with the ankle joint (5). In respect of the problem of objectifying the probability of identity, possibilities for solutions are shown.

Erratum to “Identification of unknown dead bodies by X-ray image comparison of the skull using the X-ray simulation program FoXSIS” [Forensic Sci. Int. 117 (2001) 89–98]