0000000001139213
AUTHOR
J Reuhl
Morphometric assessment of testicular changes in drug-related fatalities.
Testicular sections of 50 deceased drug addicts were examined by light microscopy using morphometric methods and determining the extent of spermatogenesis by application of the Johnsen score count. Twenty cases of violent death served as reference sample. The study was aimed at obtaining data about the degree of germinal gland damage following the duration of the individual drug career, which was correlated to the histologic findings. Progressively reduced maturation of germinal cells, decrease of tubular diameter and height of sperm-producing epithelium were found the longer the individual case history has been. The results clearly indicated a substantial impairment of male fertility in th…
Death caused by a chain saw – homicide, suicide or accident?
A 31-year-old farm worker was found dead beside a chain saw. Based on the testimony of a colleague and because of the situation at the site, the police very soon presupposed an accident. It was assumed that the victim had slipped on the sodden ground and had been killed by the subsequent swerving of the saw when starting the engine. The body presented with a deep lacerated wound at the right side of the nape of the neck, including the first cervical vertebra, the medullary canal and the right mandible as well as multiple fissures of the occipital bone, which were attributed to repeated forceful use of the chain by another person. A second wound with relatively sharp edges and a tangential f…