When determining blunt force trauma, a pathologist will look for internal bleeding and/ or organ destruction. It is characterised by injury by forceful impact and does not include injuries that penetrate the skin. Blunt force trauma can occur in many different situations including falling, car crashes or being struck with a weapon. Blunt force trauma does not always result in death and when it does, does not always immediately cause death but can result in bleeding and blood accumulation that later result in the person dying.
When examining head injuries, pathologists will look to determine the contact point which is where the head injury was inflicted. Sometimes with head injuries the ‘contre coupe’ effect can be seen which happens when the person is struck on one side of the head so hard that the brain is moved inside the skull violently enough to cause damage on the opposite side.
When investigating a murder, examining contact points and the extent of internal pleading can provide details about how the person died and how the blunt force trauma was inflicted. Pathologists can estimate whether a weapon was used and, if so, the approximate size and weight of the weapon. The information can also be used to approximate the strength and size of the attacker.
Adipocere is the saponification of human fat. It is a waxy grey-brown substance that is rarely seen in real life but often tested on. The fat is broken down into fatty acids but only in the right conditions. There has to be plenty of water, just the right temperature and time.
Adipocere is predominantly made of saturated fatty acids which results from the hydrolysis and hydrogenation of neutral fats in the body. The formation of this actually inhibits further decomposition.
Fig. 1: Picture of deceased person found on the ground (inset). Broken tiles of on the 16th floor’s awning (arrow) matched half foot pattern of a person.
Fig. 2: The right and left soles of the deceased person. Brushed abrasion on antero-medial part of left sole and an avulsed skin at medial part of the right heel
Fig. 3: Curved line abrasions on the right sole matched the coarse stippled surface of broken tile on the awning.
Fig. 4: The right foot twisted anti-clockwise when impacted against the tiles of the awning causing curved linear abrasions. An avulsed skin on medial part of the right heel matched the wood supporting tiles on the awning (double headed arrow) on the 16thfloor.
Cause of death was confirmed to be injuries due to fall from height. The total force of impact acting on the deceased body can be confirmed to be the total force of free falling person from the 17th floor and landed on the tarmac of ground floor. This is confirmed by the evidence of broken tiles on the 16th floor’s awning which matched injuries found on deceased’s sole.
HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology (link)
Medicine, Science and the Law (link) - Official journal of the British Academy of Forensic Sciences (more general medico-legal articles)
The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology (link)
Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'Anthropologie de Paris (link) - French and English language (evolutionary anthropology focus, some relevant biological anthropology coverage)
Soot found in the trachea of a body found in a fire indicates that the victim was alive when the fire began and was breathing in soot and smoke prior to death.
Yes. You read that right. Dead people can make noises. And I don’t mean a little grunt. They can make ten second long “uggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh” noises that sound way too much like a live person in pain for my comfort.
I had been on the forensic rotation two weeks without hearing this and without anyone telling me it could happen.
So we go to put one of our bodies on the autopsy table like normal. After we are done taking our external photos and undressing them, we roll them from the transfer table to the autopsy table so that they are facedown. I had been up close and personal with this guy and knew for sure he was 100% dead. But then.
Then as soon as we get done rolling him he starts groaning. I went into instant fight or flight mode, with flight winning by a landslide. My heart started pounding and I started unconsciously backing away while frantic thoughts spun through my head like “holy shit guys he’s alive he’s fucking alive omg what do we do why isn’t anyone doing anything I didn’t fucking sign up for this!”
Meanwhile the doc asks, “Is that him making that noise?”
And I respond, “Yes, DOES THAT HAPPEN??!!!!!”
She shrugs and goes, “Yeah sometimes.”
Cool I’ll just faint now. And never sleep again.
Truly nothing in my almost 4 years of med school has ever affected me like this. I found my limit.
