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Pietro Pacifico Gamondi was a tropical physician, who was one of the main protagonists of medical research during the 20th century. His training as a doctor first saw him in Rome following doctor Aldo Castellani. Gamondi then left for Lisbon, London, and the extra-European countries that have characterized his path as a doctor and as a man. In fact, he traveled to Indonesia and Africa, where took care of the population, combining European and local medicine. In this contribution, we wanted to remember the figure of a man who dedicates his life to tropical medicine and to the care of others., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

We focus our attention on the use of lithographed lecture notes written by professors, or more often by students, in the teaching of medicine and surgery courses, between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a period in which, to better understand the phenomena underlying life and death, collaboration between medical professionals and natural science researchers was intense (1). In particular, we analyzed the lithographed lecture notes of Professor Paolo Pellacani at the University of Pavia for the course of legal medicine.

Carotid artery dissection secondary to cervical blunt trauma is a rare and potentially life-threatening condition that can cause a variety of clinical presentations, including stroke, headache, neck pain, tinnitus, Horner syndrome and cranial neuropathies and is associated with long-term sequelae. We report a case of a 49-year-old industrial vehicles mechanic who was projected to the ground by the explosion of the tire of a heavy truck he was inflating. In the following hours he presented various neurological signs and symptoms and was admitted to the Emergency Department. During hospitalization the patient underwent clinical and instrumental investigations with AngioCT and MR finding of left internal carotid artery dissection in correspondence of its cervical segment and three acute ischemic lesions in the left temporal, parietal and occipital lobes. Medical management was successful and the patient was discharged from the hospital three weeks after the admission but he wasn't able to get back to work due to neurological sequelae. This case report illustrates that traumatic carotid artery dissection, although rare, should be considered in patients who present neurological symptoms after an explosion, can meet the criteria for a work-related injury and may lead to a permanent decrease in the ability to work.

The aim of this case report is to underline the importance of possible legal consequences of the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). This disease is associated with antisocial behavior, impulse control disorder and cognitive and personality impairment, which are often the earliest manifestations of the bvFTD. One of the antisocial behaviors possibly associated with this neurodegenerative disease is pathological stealing. This case report is about a 50-year-old Italian man who had a regular life until 2010. In 2010 and 2011, some critical events occurred: he lost his job, his father-in-law, to whom he was particularly close, died, and his wife had a serious illness. He began to show symptoms of depression, a significant weight loss, apathy, poor self-care, and lack of interest in the activities of his family. He became disengaged from his prior activities, emotionally detached from his family and developed compulsive hoarding. Moreover, he had uninhibited behaviors, a memory retrieval deficit, executive dysfunctions and impulsive behaviors. In January 2012, the subject began stealing objects, particularly components of computer, without premeditation or concern for resulting legal actions. He was then diagnosed affected by bvFTD. He was charged with theft and attempted theft and the Court asked for a psychiatric evaluation, in order to analyze the effect of the neurodegenerative disease on his behavior. To answer to the Court, the Authors analyzed his history of life and made a mental examination. The subject was considered mentally insane at the time of his crimes. This is an example of the practical application in judicial cases of the latest knowledge and evidence in the literature about the frontotemporal dementia, a disease associated with antisocial behaviors that could create tensions with the criminal law. The focus of the paper is to explain how the behavioral symptoms of bvFTD can have legal implications and how to deal with legal aspects of the behaviors induced by a neuro-psychiatric condition, such as bvFTD., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The choking game is defined as a self-strangulation or strangulation by another person with the hands or a noose to achieve a brief euphoric state caused by cerebral hypoxia. Death may occur, but forensic pathologists often classify them as suicides or accidental deaths, without focusing on the possibility that they may result from a deliberate self-temporary-asphyxiation, turned into a deadly game. Presenting two fatal cases of self-strangulation involving an 11-year-old boy and a teenager of 15 years, the authors identify victims' characteristics and death scene's evidence, which may help to distinguish if a death is from an asphyxial suicide or an asphyxial game., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.)