Trauma and Pathology. Cause of Death- what caused an individual to die (heart attack, brain...
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Transcript of Trauma and Pathology. Cause of Death- what caused an individual to die (heart attack, brain...
• Cause of Death- what caused an individual to die (heart attack, brain aneurism, gunshot)- FA cannot call this one
• • Manner of Death- in what manner did they die
(suicide, homicide, natural, accidental)
• Trauma- • There are 4 forms of trauma that affect bone:
Fractures, dislocations, post-traumatic deformity, or miscellaneous traumatic conditions
• The most common form of bone trauma is fractures
TraumaThere are three main types of trauma:• Blunt Force• Stab or Sharp Force trauma• GunShot Wounds- wound produce by a
projectile. – Entry wounds usually consist of small round holes
about the size of the bullet used.– Exit wounds are often large, ovoid wounds (blow
outs) that shatter the opposite site of the head (depending on the caliber)
– Beveling shows the direction in which force was applied to bone. Bone will bend away from the direction force was applied.• There are 3 types of beveling: Inward, outward, reverse
Blunt Force and Gunshot Wounds
• Bass GSW http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h2aODJzWw8&feature=related
• Bass blunt force http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbIftlX58Lo&feature=related
Stages of Trauma
Trauma can occur at three different stages:• Antemortem- shows signs of healing• Perimortem- shows no signs of healing; breaks
more jagged and duller edges (wet bone)• Post mortem- identified through coloration
and weathering; breaks straighter with sharper edges (dry bone)
Post Mortem Interval (PMI)
Many types of changes to a body occur after death. Some of those that can be used to determine the post mortem interval are:
• Algor mortis - body cooling;• Rigor mortis - stiffening of limbs;• Forensic entomology - insect activity on the corpse;• Vitreous humour changes - eye chemistry;• State of decomposition - autolysis (process of self
digestion) and putrefaction (process caused by bacteria found within the body)
A person who judges the time of death by the means of decomposition is privy to a simple five stage process:
•Stage 1: Initial Decay - This is basically where the body will stop producing antigens and enzymes that are used to fight off bacteria located mainly in the lower intestine.
•Stage 2: Putrefaction - Because the body no longer has a defense system in place the bacteria grow and multiply by feeding off the body. They will begin to bring forth certain gases, which in turn will give the dead body a sort of bloated look and will cause a rather unpleasant odor.
•Stage 3: Black Putrefaction - This stage will bring further discoloration to the body (whether it be black, blue, purple, green etc.). It will also have an even more horrendous odor as the gases caused by the bacteria begin to escape out of the body.
•Stage 4: Butyric Fermentation - Where the internal organs begin to liquefy and the body will begin to desiccate-or dry out.
•Stage 5: Dry Rot - This is the slowest process out of the five stages. Basically, as the name indicates, the body will slowly begin to dry out and ultimately skeletonize.