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Background & Objectives: Estimation of stature from the incomplete skeletal remains have importance in personal identification in the events of murders, accidents or natural disasters and considered as one of the biggest challenges of forensic science. Objectives: To study the relationship of stature in relation with hand dimensions and to derive a mathematical model to predict the stature from hand dimensions. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done among 50 medical students studying at a medical college in South Tamilnadu. Age, gender, hand dimensions and height of all the subjects were noted. Pearson correlation was done to find the correlation between hand dimensions and height. Linear regression was used to derive the equations to predict the stature of an individual using various dimensions of hands. Results: The mean age of the study population was 20.06 ± 1.28 years. Regression equations were derived to predict the stature of an individual with length and breadth of right and left hand. There was statistically significant positive correlation between stature and dimensions of both right and left hand. Linear regression equations were derived to predict the stature of an individual with any of the hand dimensions. Interpretation & Conclusion: Hand dimensions have statistically significant positive correlation with the stature. The length or breadth of the right or left hand can be used to predict the stature of an individual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When death is unexpected, sudden, litigious, or unexplained, or if it is a criminal death, an autopsy becomes imperative.A forensic autopsy or medicolegal autopsy is "an examination conducted postmortem to address medicolegal objectives. A comprehensive profile of medicolegal autopsies undertaken over ten years (2011-2020) was evaluated at the A.J. Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre, Mangaluru/Mangalore. Of the 1842 autopsied incidents, Sixty-two per cent of the autopsied victims were males. Seventy per cent of the overall deaths were between 20 and 49 years old. Road Traffic Accidents (R.T.A.) accounted for 45% of autopsied cases. The 3rd and 4th decades showed peak incidences of Road Traffic Accidents, fall from height, drowning, and burns. Seventy-six percent of unnatural deaths were accidental, 71.9% were due to road traffic incidents. Unnatural deaths do have medicolegal, social and preventive facets. Despite preventive measures, the dominance of Road traffic fatalities is a crucial cause of concern. The multipronged approach involving individuals, family, society, and law enforcement agencies will go a long way in preventing this vast and unfortunate loss of human lives because of accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study was conducted to know, pattern and distribution of intracranial haemorrhage in fatal head injuries in RTAs along with victim's age and sex and survival period. In addition, an attempt was also made to know the cause of death. Methodology: The present study was both retrospective and prospective study. The study material comprised of 75 victims of RTA cases, who were admitted and died in Basaveshwara teaching and general Hospital, MRMC, Gulbarga and subsequently autopsied, during the 3 year period from May 2011 to April 2014. Results: In this study, males outnumbered females in the ratio 2.9:1. Age group most commonly involved was 21 - 30 years (24%). Most of the victims died < 24 hours following accident (58.66%). Most common victims involved were motor cycle occupants (37.33%). Intracranial haemorrhage was present in maximum number of victims (58.67%), followed by lung injuries (33.33%). Subdural haemorrhage was seen in majority of cases (38.67%). Intracranial injuries alone were responsible for death in 57.33% followed by hemorrhagic shock in 36%.). Conclusion: RTA's are the penalty paid by us for rapid transportation and have become the commonest cause of unnatural deaths. The rise in the number of fast moving vehicles, semi-skilled drivers, drunken drivers, congested and ill-maintained roads has led to the increase in the number of RTA's. Intracranial injury was the most common finding in the study. It was observed that in majority of cases, intracranial injury contributed either directly or indirectly to death especially with skull fracture. Hence stricter implementation of traffic rules and promotion of road safety measures by the concerned authority viz. the use of helmets and seatbelts, avoidance of over speeding, using footpaths, etc. is the need of the hour. It also highlights the need of emergency trauma services at site of the occurrence for reducing morbidity and mortality in such cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evaluating patients who have sustained blunt abdominal trauma remains one of the most challenging and resource-intensive aspects of acute trauma care.6,7 The objective of this dissertation is to analyse the pattern of fatal abdominal injuries secondary to blunt force impact. Aim: The aim of this research is to analyze the pattern of fatal abdominal injuries secondary to blunt force impact Materials and Method: Detailed observations for 38 autopsies with evidence of fatal abdominal trauma during the period October 2014 to July 2016 were carried out. Routine information like age, sex, occupation brief facts of the cases collected from the inquest report. Clinical history like time of admission, and deaths and other relevant data was collected from the hospital case sheets and death summaries. Results: Analysis involves 38 autopsies with evidence of fatal abdominal trauma during the period October 2014 to July 2016. The most common age group involved was between 21-30 years of age comprising 26% of total 38 cases followed by the age group of 11-20 years comprising 21% of total cases. The most common cause of blunt fatal abdominal trauma was vehicular accident seen in 84% of cases. In 38 cases, it was found that 24 cases (63%) were dead on arrival. Amongst 32 vehicular accidents, a total of 21 pedestrians (66%) were killed in 38 fatal blunt abdominal trauma cases. Liver was the organ mainly affected in fatal blunt abdominal trauma followed by pelvic trauma and kidney. Haemorrhage accounted for the largest number of cases (94.74%). Conclusion: The present study emphasizes the need for adopting measures to prevent morbidity and mortality resulting from blunt abdominal trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase in head injury cases, though a disturbing universal phenomenon, has a greater significance for developing countries due to a host of factors. However the development of newer imaging modalities, in conjunction with traditional clinical assessment techniques provides hope for an improvement in diagnostic and treatment methodology. Computed Tomography (CT) is said to reveal promptly, accurately and non-invasively the intra-cranial and parenchymal abnormalities in acute cranio-cerebral trauma that were previously recognized only at autopsy. Therefore the CT scan of head is indispensable in the diagnosis of the various traumatic lesions and their management and in addition it also carries important prognostic value. The present prospective study attempted to correlate Multi Slice Computed Tomography (MSCT) findings of intracranial haemorrhages with that of post-mortem examination findings of fatal head injuries. Computed Tomography Scan was done in 71 cases, of which 52 were non-operated and 19 were operated cases. The cause of head injuries in all the cases was due to Road Traffic Accident except one case, which was due to fall from height. The distribution of intracranial hemorrhages in the 67 cases revealed 22 had isolated intracranial hemorrhages and 45 cases had multiple intracranial hemorrhages. In 4 cases no lesions were detected. The correlation between autopsy and Computed Tomography Scan for various lesions of Intracranial Hemorrhage revealed 148 lesions in 67 cases, of which 92 were detected at CT Scan. In our study the sensitivity of CT Scan among the Intracranial Hemorrhages was highest for Subdural Hemorrhages (59%) and lowest for Extradural Hemorrhages (27%). The specificity of CT Scan among the Intracranial Hemorrhages was highest for Extradural Hemorrhages (94%) and lowest for detecting Subarachnoid Hemorrhages (80%). The discrepancy between the CT Scan findings and Autopsy findings seen in this study may be a result of the evolutionary and resolution process of the lesion. It can also be attributed to the artifacts of the Imaging modality (CT Scan) and the size of the lesions being lesser than that of the selected CT Scan slice thickness. We thus recommend that to reduce artefacts and enhance visualizations, techniques like special zoom cuts, thin slices, contrast enhanced and three dimensional CT Scan and repeat CT Scans be employed depending on the clinical scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An anatomical detail of ossicular chain is of paramount importance in understanding the pathology and structural reconstruction of the ossicles. As stapes is located strategically between incus and fenestra vestibuli, its morphological aspects gains importance in all aspects of ossicular replacement surgeries, in electromagnetic middle ear implants and in ossiculoplasties. Study of variations of the stapes will help in understanding the diverse origin of its components. The present study attempts to provide morphometric detail of the stapes and also show light on the morphological variations. 25 human head specimens taken from the dissection hall, after removal of brain and duramater, subarcuate fossa and arcuate eminance of the petrous part of the temporal bone were chipped off with help of fine edged chissel and hammer. With help of bone cutter the tegmen tympani forming the remaining roof was removed, till the middle ear cavity and three ossicles are properly exposed and identified. Stapes showed maximum variations among ossicles. The mean height, width and length of stspes on both sides were found to be 3.22mm, 1.72 mm and 2.62mm respectively. The mean weight of stapes found to be 2.08mg. The weight of left sided stapes were more than the right sided stapes. Maximum variations of stapes proves its diverse embryological development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stature estimation from percutaneous body measurements forms part of forensic anthropological analysis for the purpose of identification. However, there is a great void in such norms for south Indian population. This study is aimed at modeling the stature on the basis of percutaneous ulnar length in human subjects comprising of south Indian population. The study was conducted in the Department of Anatomy in collaboration with the Department of Forensic Medicine, A.J. Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangalore on 200 young and healthy students comprising of 100 males and 100 females in the age group ranging from 20 to 22 years. The measurements were taken by using standard anthropometric instruments. It is remarked that ulnar length show a linear relationship with the stature, where stature is normally distributed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was a sad and emotional moment for the citizens of Mangalore, India when the "Dubai to Mangalore" Air India Express Boeing 737-800 flight IX-812 crashed at the Mangalore International Airport on 22 May 2010, killing 158 people on board. Identification of the victims was difficult as most of the bodies were charred beyond easy recognition. The practical problems faced by the legal authorities in identifying the charred victims in a populous and developing country like India are discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pregnancy-related death is defined by the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) as the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the cause of death. A six year retrospective hospital record-based research regarding maternal deaths conducted at Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, AJ Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangalore, situated in coastal Karnataka, South India. It included the data regarding age, parity, status of the patient on admission mode of delivery and cause of death. Of the total 3621 females delivered 17 maternal deaths were reported. The majority (29.4%) of the cases were from age group of 21-25 years. Multigravida and in antepartum state had a greater number (10) of deaths. Majority (29.3%) of the patient succumbed for sepsis. Sepsis and obstetrical haemorrhage are still major causes of maternal deaths. Most maternal deaths are preventable. The provision of timely management of complications can lower maternal mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anomalous left coronary artery from pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) is a rare congenital coronary artery malformation. Left uncorrected, nearly 90% of patients will die within one year. The clinical presentation of ALCAPA is variable during infancy and can mimic common conditions such as infantile colic, gastro-esophageal reflux disease, food intolerance and respiratory infections. Without surgical repair, surviving patients are subjected to risks of myocardial ischemia with global cardiomyopathy, chronic mitral regurgitation, and sudden death. However, in some cases collateral blood supply from the right coronary artery is sufficient and symptoms may be subtle or even absent. With early surgical correction the prognosis is good, but awareness of this condition is essential for prompt diagnosis and referral to a tertiary cardiac centre. We present the unusual case of a 13 year old asymptomatic boy who was referred to the tertiary healthcare centre for investigation of incidentally detected murmur during school health check which was later found to be resulting from previously undiagnosed anomalous left coronary artery arising from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) with preserved left ventricular function. This case stresses the need for high index of awareness among paediatricians and general practitioners regarding this entity so as to enable early detection and therapeutic intervention with improved prognosis for these children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deliberate self-harm is a challenging public health issue. We aimed to understand the behavior of deliberate self-harm, both fatal and nonfatal, in a tertiary health care setting. A two year retrospective hospital record-based research was conducted in a tertiary care hospital attached to a teaching medical institution in Karnataka to record socio-demographic profile and clinical outcome of suicidal behavior. Data were collected by using specially devised deliberate self-harm proforma. During the two year research period 137 patients were reported with deliberate self harm, among which 17 had fatal out come and 120 recovered after treatment. Of these 58.4% were females and 41.6% males. The majority (48.2%) cases were from age group of 21-30 years. Victims were predominantly belonged to Hindu community (83.2%). The majority of acts of deliberate self-harm (90%) were committed inside the home. Poisoning was the commonest (57.7%) method of self-harm, particularly using pesticide. Psychiatric illness was seen in 67.9% deliberate self harm victims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the role of health professional in control and cessation tobacco. The author highlights the role of medical personnel in promotion of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and Health Professional Code of Practice on Tobacco Control. The author further reflects on several disease caused by the use of tobacco including cardiovascular disease, carcinoma and pneumonia.

Introduction: Though in absolute numbers more men commit suicide than women, there are various complexities associated with female suicides. The studies on suicides among women based on whether or not they are in the reproductive age group may lead to greater understanding of specific factors attributable to this particular sub-population of women. Materials and Methods: Women in the reproductive age group who died as a result of fatal deliberate self-harm were autopsied at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal during January 2010 and September 2011. Results: 44 women suicides were included. Thirty-one of the victims (70%) were aged above 19 years (adults) and 13 (30%) were adolescents. In 11 cases (25%) the motive was either not mentioned or could not be ascertained. Out of the remaining 33 victims, the most common reason for committing suicide was health related issues (n=16). Among the suicide methods, poisoning was the most common, seen in 28 of the victims (64%). In 41 cases (93%) the place of occurrence of the incident was indoors. Thirty of the victims (68%) were hospitalised after the suicide attempt. Conclusion:It is recommended that psychiatric assessment should be considered for women with chronic and vague symptoms of ill health not responding to treatment, as a possible manifestation of the underlying psychiatric disease, which then turns into the primary motive for suicide for women in the reproductive age group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From running small gadgets to powering the omnipresent cell phone, use of electricity and electrical gadgets cannot be escaped. Unfortunately, this ubiquity has also led to various ways to get injured or even die from electricity. Though all electrical instruments carry with them some inherent risk in their use, a peculiar problem met in India is the use of electricity in unintended and dangerous ways. This can vary from modified electric fishing poles to electrified barbed wires used for hunting. In this case, portable electrified barbed wires were erected in a forested area to kill and obtain wild boar. Two men who had gone hunting in the same forest were found dead there. On one body, characteristic patterned burn injuries resembling the pattern of barbed wires were present. The cause of death was found to be due to electrical injuries. Finding bodies with burn injuries due to electricity in a forested area will usually raise suspicion of lightning injuries. Nevertheless, an unusual pattern of injuries should be investigated further. In this case, an examination of the crime scene led to the possible scenario of electrification injuries which was confirmed by autopsy and police investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blunt traumatic cardiac rupture is a relatively uncommon diagnosis and is usually associated with a high mortality rate. A case of delayed cardiac rupture is described in an elderly person who sustained blunt chest trauma following a fall into a roadside ditch. In the case reported herein, the preliminary investigations at the time of admission did not show any evidence of haemopericardium. The patient deteriorated suddenly, possibly due to a delayed rupture of the right ventricle that was diagnosed postmortem. Acute cardiac tamponade resulting from rupture of the right ventricle is a serious and life threatening state. A high index of suspicion about the possibility of delayed cardiac rupture is required during the management of a case of polytrauma where significant cardiac findings can be masked by the presence of other injuries., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.)

Estimation of stature is one of the principal elements in practical forensic casework involving examination of skeletal remains. The present study was undertaken to estimate stature from the length of the sternum in South Indian females using a linear regression equation. The material for the present study consisted of intact sternums belonging to adult females of South Indian origin aged between 25 and 35 years of age obtained during medico-legal autopsies. The length of the sternum was measured as the combined length of the manubrium and the mesosternum (body of the sternum) from the incisura jugularis (central suprasternal notch) to the mesoxiphoid junction along the mid-sagittal plane using vernier calipers. A linear regression equation [Stature = 111.599 + (3.316 × Length of the sternum)] was derived to estimate stature from the length of the sternum. The correlation coefficient was 0.639. The standard error of the estimate was 4.11 cm. The present study concludes that the length of the sternum is a reliable predictor of stature in adult South Indian females and can be used as a tool for stature estimation when better predictors of stature like the long bones of the limbs are not available when examining skeletal remains., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.)

Sex determination from prepubertal human remains is a challenge for forensic experts and physical anthropologists worldwide as definitive sexual traits are not manifested until after the full development of secondary sexual characters that appear during puberty. The research was undertaken in 350 South Indian adolescents to investigate sexual dimorphism of the index and ring finger ratio. The index finger length (IFL) and the ring finger length (RFL) were measured in millimeters in each hand and the index and ring finger ratio was computed by dividing the index finger length by the ring finger length. Mean RFL was greater than mean IFL in both males and females. Mean RFL was significantly higher in males. The index and ring finger ratio showed a statistically significant difference between males and females (p

Attacks on humans by domestic animals causing fatal injuries are not uncommon in rural areas of India. But injuries due to buffalo gore are rarely observed in villages and are different from other casualties like stab injuries, road fatalities, etc. As the victims of buffalo attack are usually recovered from the fields or forest, the investigating officer could be mislead as to the nature of infliction of fatal injuries to a possible homicide. The injuries caused by the horns of buffaloes are of various shapes, sizes and directions. They are violent and goring in nature. The wound sustained may be contusions, lacerations, criss-cross wounds, penetration of body cavities, and sometimes fractures. In the absence of any eye witness, it becomes very difficult to believe the unsuspecting domestic water buffalo as attacker. This case is reported for its rarity, for the awareness of the possible injuries in such unnatural deaths, and factors predisposing to a buffalo attack., (Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.)

Adipocere has a long history of frightening and fascinating mankind, from so called "incorruptible saints" to the famous "iceman" and its formation on human remains has long been known and feared. Adipocere formation replaces the putrefactive changes, when the body lies buried in shallow, moist, clay, soiled grave or it is thrown into cess pools or submerged in water. As the progression of putrefaction is arrested, the facial features and wounds are preserved without much alteration, thereby aiding the identification and to certain extent, the cause of death. The time required for the formation of adipocere is a subject of controversy. Here we present a case of early adipocere formation within 3 days and the review of literature pertaining to it.

Unintentional (accidental) injuries in childhood constitute a significant public health problem. Young children are extremely vulnerable to unintentional injuries that are vastly preventable. All cases of fatal unintentional injuries in children aged 10 years and below autopsied during 1994-2007 were retrospectively reviewed. Seventy five such cases were identified during the 14 year study period. Males accounted for 68% of cases with a male-female ratio of 2.1:1. Mean age of male and female victims was 5.3 and 4.9 years, respectively. Road traffic fatalities accounted for majority of the cases in this age group (52%), followed by those due to thermal injuries (22.7%). Flame was the cause of thermal injuries in 52.9% cases and scalds were observed in 47.1% cases. Traffic fatalities, fall and drowning were more common in school age children while toddlers and pre-school age children were relatively at a greater risk from domestic accidents (thermal injuries and poisoning). The most frequent victims of road traffic incidents were pedestrians (64.1%). Head injuries alone were the cause of fatalities in the majority of road traffic incidents (82.1%). The study highlights on the pattern of fatalities due to unintentional injuries among young children. To reduce the burden of unintentional childhood mortalities in this region, priorities for school age children are traffic injuries and for toddlers and pre-school children, thermal injuries.

Sudden death due to respiratory pathology is not uncommon and tuberculosis with its complications is well known to cause death. We report a case of a male, train passenger, who started coughing out blood and died on reaching the hospital. Medicolegal autopsy confirmed the sudden unexpected death to be due to pulmonary aspergillosis in the person with past medical history of tuberculosis.

Stab wounds encountered in medico-legal autopsies are usually caused by sharp pointed weapons. Peculiarities of the wound of entry in stab wounds, for example due to the hilt of the weapon, movement of the weapon and sometimes by the hand of the assailant holding the weapon are often described in literature. We report an unusual presentation in a fatal stab injury wherein a single atypical external wound was associated with multiple internal injuries to the organs. The exact cause of such peculiarities can never be accurately determined, rather that can be speculated upon at the time of the autopsy and recorded for the purpose of academic interest.