PERSONAL IDENTITYEstablishment of
individuality of a person
Personal Identity
Identity may be required in:
The living
The dead
Recently dead
Putrefied / decomposed bodies
Mutilated bodies
Remains – soft tissues / skeletal remains
Personal Identity
LIVING
Computerized national identity card
Photographs – Front & profile
Permanent identification marks – moles /
scars / tatoos / birth marks
Signature / thumb impression
Identification by examination of Ires
Personal Identity
IDENTITY MAY HAVE TO BE DETERMINED IN:
1. Mass disasters
2. Where C.N.I.C. Not available
3. Traffic accidents
4. Absconding soldiers
5. Mixed up babies in maternity ward
6. Lost memory patient
7. Wanted criminals
8. Impersonation
Personal Identity
DETERMINATION OF PERSONAL IDENTITY
3rd party identification
Subjective methods
Objective identification
Personal IdentityParameters of Identification
Age, sex, stature , weight Physical characters
Facial features Eyes, nose, lips, chin, cheek, teeth, Iris – color and
pattern Secondary – sexual characters Acquired characters e.g. scars, tatoos, fibroids etc. Congenital characters e.g. moles Gait, voice Professional stigmas – water carriers, cleaners,
photographers etc. Belongings – watch, glasses, wallet
Personal Identity
Methods of Identification
1. CNIC – Particulars / Photograph / Finger Prints/ Iris
examination
2. Finger Printing – Including Poroscopy
3. Serology – DNA / Blood Grouping
4. Cytology
5. Osteology
6. Radiology
7. Examination of hair
8. Autopsy / Post Mortem examination
Personal Identity
3rd Party Verification Of Identity By Relatives / Friends
Subjective : Physical characters Facial features Height and weight Belongings
Personal IdentitySubjective identification: Body as a whole:
Age, sex, stature , weight
Facial features: Eyes, nose, lips, chin, cheek, teeth, Iris – color and pattern
Anatomical features Primary shape of body Secondary – sexual characters Changes associated with degeneration – arcus-senalis,
cataract, osteoarthritic changes – Teeth – eruption / morphology / wear and tear
The natural height of a human in an upright position
stature = 12.67 + 2.09 x (femur length
+ sum of lumbar vertebrae) • stature = 48.63 + 2.32 x (tibia length + sum of lumbar vertebrae Adjustments to Stature • Stature lost with increasing age • Bone shrinkage • Reported vs. Measured stature • Age of individual
Personal Identity / Stature
Estimation of stature (length /height)
Entire skeleton length +1½for soft tissues
Tip middle finger to tip middle finger
Length of arm x 2 + 13½ (Clavicle + Sternum)
Personal Identity / Stature
Stature from long boneLength of bone x Multiplication Factor
Bone M.FHumerus 5.0Radius 6.3Ulna 6.0Femur 3.6Tibia 4.2Fibula 4.4
Personal Identity
Objective methods
Morphological data – height – weight –
peculiarities
Belongings
Non biological – clothes and stains , Watch, glasses,
cell phone, visiting cards etc.
Biological – hair, nails, bones [resist putrefaction]
Stains – blood / semen / saliva.
Personal Identity
ANTHROPOMETRY
Anthropometry – Bertillon – after age 21 the
individual ceases to grow in size – measurement
of various parts of body remain unchanged – 14
measurements are to be taken:
Length and Breadth of Head, Length of Fingers, Size of
Feet and Toes Etc – Similarity Chances 1:286 – Tedious
Process – Replaced By:
Personal Identity
Dactylography – Finger printing – Galton System
Ridges on finger tips make patterns peculiar to
each individual – Purkinje, Henry Faulds, Frances
Galton, Edward Henry – Chances of similarity
1:64000 million
Contd.
Fire Arms Ballistics
What comes out of the muzzle?
Flame – burning / singeing of hair – few inches (the gases
heated up to 5200oF)
Projectile – entry wound (bullets are never “red hot” – 69oC –
110oC)
Cone of compressed gases – tearing of skin & tissues
Soot – blackening in & around the wound
Powder grains – deposition in & around the wound – tattooing
Wad – In case of shot gun
Fire Arms Injuries
Firearm Wound Complex
Wounding elements
Flame, projectile, hot gases, wad
Non wounding elements
Soot, powder grains and grease TANDEM BULLETS When the first bullet fails to leave the barrel, and is
ejected by the subsequently fired bullets; the bullets are ejected one before the other and
are known as tandem bullets.
Fire Arms Injuries
Firearm Wound Complex has four parts
1. Entry wound
2. Track of the wound –also grazing & gutter
wounds
3. Place of resting of projectile
4. Exit wound
Fire Arms Injuries
Entry Wound Complex – Depends upon:
Type of bullet – low / high velocity
Angle of fire – direction of fire – circular / oval
Tail wag effects – distance
Explosive effects – Distance of the muzzle from
the target
Fire Arms Injuries
Entry Wound (Rifled Weapons)
may be:
Firm contact wound
Loose contact wound
Short range
Medium range
Long range
Fire Arms Injuries
Fire Arms Injuries
Firm Contact
In bony areas: Muzzle imprint
Explosive appearance of wound – stellate (Arranged
in a radiating pattern like that of a star.)appearance
– due to discharge of compressed gases
Searing of wound margins
Soot, gases (red cherry appearance), powder grains
inside the wound – may be deposited on the
underlying bone
Fire Arms Injuries
Firm contact on the non bony areas:
Muzzle imprint – may not be obvious
Entry wound circular / oval equal to
diameter of the muzzle
Searing of edges of wound
Soot and powder grains inside the wound
Fire Arms Injuries
Loose Contact
Entry wound with searing
Soot deposited around the wound – light zone
near the wound and dense deposition at the
periphery of the light zone (corona)
Hair burned (singeing) – blown away by gases
Fire Arms Injuries
Short Range – 3 to 6 inches
Wound – round / oval
Soot deposition and powder grains
around the wound – Removed by wiping
Singeing / clubbing of hair
Fire Arms Injuries
Medium Range – 12 to 18 inches
Wound
Tattooing (powder tattooing) – driving in of
powder grains into the skin – reddish brown –
orange red punctate lesions surrounding the
entry wound
Cannot be cleaned with wiping
Fire Arms Injuries
Long Range
Wound – round / oval, inverted margins
Collar of abrasion round / oval – due to
spinning of the bullet
Fire Arms Injuries
Track of the wound – Direction
From entry wound to place of resting of bullet
or exit
Grazing wound
Gutter wounds
Fire Arms Injuries
Exit Wound
Great variations in appearance
Larger diameter than entry wound with averted margins
Shored exit – skin supported-abrasion collar may be seen
Pellets / shots rarely make exit
Mechanical Injuries / Bruise
Age of Bruise
Color changes – due to changes in released Haemoglobin
1. Red-fresh
2. Bluish – bluish purple / bluish black – deoxygenated (few hrs to 48 hrs) Brownish Haemosiderin 4 – 5 days Greenish Haemotidin 5 – 7 days Yellowish Bilirubin 7 – 10 days Normal color 10 – 15 days
Shotgun Injuries
Shotgun use cartridges having cylindrical body and
metallic base – having anvil
The cartridge holds primer – paper wad – propellant
mass – piston wad / mono wad – shots – terminal
wad
Shots may be contained in a plastic cup / mono wad
Obturation achieved by wad
Dispersion of shots depends on the type of wad,
size of pellets & choking
Shotgun Injuries
Types of Wads:
Plastic hard disc
Hard board
Paper wad
Piston wad – felt or mono wad cup of plastic
holding shots – petals of wad crumpled down
to hold shots – petals open & leaves strike
the skin producing patterned abrasions
Shotgun Injuries
Wounding elements of shotgun are: Flame – searing / burning Shots – defect – cutting effect Wad – abrasion / laceration
Non wounding elements include: Smoke / soot Powder grains
Shotgun Injuries
Firm Contact On bony areas
Large explosive wound of entry – wad inside Searing of wound edges Soot inside the wound Bursting fractures of skull as exit wound
On soft tissues Entry wound of the size of muzzle – wad inside
Searing of wound edges Soot inside the wound
Shotgun Injuries
Loose contact Entry wound – wad inside Soot deposition around the wound
Short Range Single wound Wad inside / abrasion – laceration near the
wound Powder grains
Shotgun Injuries
Medium Range – Up to 3 feet
Single wound
Piston wad inside the wound
Tattooing
Shotgun Injuries Long Range – Dispersion – pallets number / mono
wad 3 feet
Single wound-wad inside Tattooing
6 feet Large wound with one or two satellite pallet
wounds Wad injury may be present
9 feet Spread of pallets with a central hole
12 feet Pallets making separate injuries
Beyond 12 feet Spread of pallets Range – spread of pallets in inches = distance in
meters (depending on chocking)
Shotgun Injuries
Shaheen Pak Cartridges:
Velocity of shots – 30 m /sec
Spread of shots – 70 cm diameter at 35
meters
Shotgun Injuries
Exit Wound
Pallets rarely exit – may be lying under the
skin
Billiard ball effect The pallets arranged in groups come out in the
same group pattern
The 1st group of pallets hitting the target –
retarded by loss of velocity – hit on the back by
the 2nd group of pallets & consequently hit by
the 3rd group
Shotgun Injuries
The 1st pallets round on one side and flattened on
the opposite side
The 2nd round of pallets flattened on both sides
The 3rd row flattened on front side and round on the
back
Firearm Injuries
Medicolegal Importance of Firearm
Injuries
Weapon – rifled / smooth bore – low
velocity / high velocity – recovery of
projectile / wad
Range / distance – wound complex –
never commit on accurate range
Firearm Injuries
Angle of fire / Direction
Shape of wound
Track – dissection / X-Rays
Join entry & exit (mind ricocheting)
Firearm Injuries
Nature of injuries
Suicidal
Scene (locus) / selective sites / contact / direction
/ number / soot soiling – hand / weapon available
Homicidal
Vulnerable / any site / any range / direction /
varying number / weapon absent (present ?)
Firearm Injuries
Accidental
Front of body / usually medium range / directed
from below upwards / weapon available
Self inflicted / Fabricated
Selective / easily accessible – non vulnerable
site / range contact – short / direction right to left
above downwards / cloth defect not
corresponding
Firearm Injuries
Cause of Death
W H O certification of cause of death
Cause directly leading to death
Antecedent causes
Contributing causes
Firearm Injuries / Documentation
Number of Wounds
Exact number of wounds with
characteristics
Shape / margins / searing
Odd and even rule
One bullet producing multiple entries /
exits
Firearm Injuries / Documentation
Recovery of Projectile
From lodging site – soft / rubber clad forceps
X-Ray may be used for detection of bullet
Recovery of wad in shotgun injuries &
Representative samples of pallets / shots
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