Biomedical subjects

S Pollak

Publications and source records attributed to S Pollak.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

[Wound entry findings of animal anesthesia guns without smoke outlets].

Subsequent to previous reports on the morphology of injuries from slaughterer's guns a case of suicide with atypical entrance wound findings is reported from the Freiburg autopsy material. The livestock stunner used did not have the smoke conduits usually opening into the muzzle end. Accordingly the entrance wound was not associated with any roundish or elliptic soot deposits. In cases where a large entrance hole without paired or cloverleaf-shaped zones of blackening, but no exit wound and no projectile is found one should also think of a slaughterer's gun without smoke conduits. The results of our test shots with conventional livestock narcotic devices and stunners without smoke conduits are presented.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Occupation-specific mode of self injury within the scope of a fictitious assault].

In typical cases self-inflicted injuries in fictitious offences show a characteristic pattern of findings with multiple, uniform, and mostly superficial skin lesions. If the actors possess special experiences, knowledge or instruments--particularly in the field of medicine--the injuries inflicted by themselves may have an appearance whose autoaggressive origin is less obvious. The case of a 43-year-old nurse is reported who was admitted for surgical treatment with two cuts in the abdomen extending into the subcutis; she pretended to have been attacked by 2 masked men who stabbed her for xenophobic motives. In reality she had inflicted the cuts upon herself after applying a local anaesthetic. The necessary equipment (Scandicain, disposable syringes, stitch cutter) was taken from her place of work. Self-inflicted injuries specific to medical professions, as well as fictitious offences with atypical cut- and stab-wounds and the insinuated motives of the alleged offenders are discussed.

Abdominal Injuries↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Fatal child neglect in West Germany 1 January 1985 to 2 October 1990. Results of a multicenter study].

UNLABELLED: Up to now reliable data were available on cases of lethal child neglect in the area of the Federal Republic of Germany prior to reunification (the former West Germany). In a multicenter study we therefore examined the police and court records for such cases occurring in the period from 1 January 1985 to 2 October 1990 in nearly the entire area of Federal Republic of Germany. RESULTS: The study center received information on 19 cases of lethal child neglect. Extrapolated to all institutes of legal medicine, this corresponds to 20 cases and thus 3.5 cases a year in the whole of West Germany in the period studied. There is to be added a dark-field which cannot be limited more precisely. However, the cases of fatal child neglect might have occurred much more seldom than fatal child abuse caused by use of physical violence. Slightly more than half the victims were younger than 1 year, the oldest one was 7 10/12 years old. Most frequently the children died of starvation and thirst. Mostly the mothers/nursing mothers killed the child alone or together with the victim's father/stepfather. In the majority of the cases there was not a close affection between parents and child. Nearly 30% female/male perpetrators suffered from chronic alcohol abuse. Only 15 (= 56%) of 27 female/male perpetrators were sentenced to imprisonment (period between 7 months on probation and 10 years). Mitigation circumstances existed for nearly half the persons sentenced to imprisonment. It is true that child neglect is a rarer crime, but the experts of legal medicine always have to indicate errors made during the external inspection of the corpse (among others failures to see indications of neglect).

Cause of Death↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Appearance of injuries caused by machetes and unusually large knives].

Machetes (Spanish-American matchets) are sharp, long knives with a broad blade having a slightly curved edge and a thick back. They are used for clearing paths in rough, densely wooded areas. Just like axes and swords they are suitable for causing not only soft tissue wounds, but also deep slashes in the underlying bone. In military conflicts (especially in Central Africa) they are often used as short-range weapons, whereas it is in the nature of things that they are rarely used in Europe. On the basis of 5 cases from the Freiburg material fatal and survived injuries caused by machetes and similarly large knives are discussed. In 2 cases long chop injuries were inflicted on the head causing sharp-edged transections of the bony skullcap; in one case in which the victim survived a broken off part of the blade lodged in the right os parietale. In another 2 cases complete and subtotal decapitation respectively occurred in the victims. As the instrument can be used both for cutting and stabbing there were not only long cutting injuries, but also gaping stab wounds severing the skin over a length of several centimetres; due to the great length of the blade through-and-through wounds were also seen on the trunk. Massive blows with the thick back of the blade caused streak-like bruising.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Case report of accidental stab wound to the heart].

A 33 year-old Polish field-worker was found by his colleagues kneeling in front of his trailer, with a bloody stab wound in the heart region. In spite of prompt surgical intervention, the man died from his injury a few hours later. Upon examination of the dead man's trailer a blood-smeared vegetable-knife was found in the sink, and on the floor, a pullover with a slit-like cut. On the wall hung a jacket on a hook with a cut in the inner surface of the left breast pocket but not in the outside layer. The examination of the clothes, the autopsy and a reconstruction of the sequence of events led to the following conclusion: The knife had been placed into the breast pocket of the jacket with the tip facing downwards. As the man put down a sack of potatoes, the knife hooked into a pre-existing gap in the sack and was driven into the chest cavity by the pressure weight of the heavy sack.

Accidents, Occupational↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Penetrating stab injury to the heart with unusually long survival].

A 19-year-old man was injured with a kitchen knife by a singular stab to the left anterior thoracic wall. Initial medical treatment was limited to the extrathoracic soft tissue wound and volume replacement by infusion. Subsequently the circulatory situation stabilized and the patient seemed to be out of danger. 3 1/2 hours after treatment a hemorrhagic shock developed, which resulted in the death of the patient while an emergency thoracotomy was still being performed. At autopsy a penetrating stab wound was detected in the left ventricle with the wound track being partially blocked by thrombotic material. The pathophysiological causes of the atypical clinical course are described and discussed with reference to the relevant literature.

Female↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Using cement-containing powder glue (tile cement) to dispose of a cadaver].

A 40 year-old woman was killed by fist and chop blows and buried in a forest area far away from the scene of the homicide. Before covering the body with soil the perpetrator poured 25 kg of tile cement powder over it. When the victim was retrieved 6 weeks later, the cement had hardened covering the body like a plate and encasing it like a sheath. The surface of the tile cement facing towards the body was found to contain two kinds of traces: detailed cast-like reproduction of the textile structures of the victim's clothing and wallpaper-like epidermal adhesions. By means of sequencing the mitochondrial DNA the adherent horny scales could be related to the victim.

Adhesives↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Reconstrudive significance of stretch mark tears of the skin].

Stretchmark-like tears of the inguinal region are commonly referred to as typical lesions in pedestrian accidents when the victim is run over by a motorcar. These lesions can also be observed when a pedestrian is hit by a vehicle while being in an upright position. Stretchmark-like tears are due to hyperextension or excessive abduction of the hip joint. Characteristic morphological features are variable numbers of equally superficial and parallel tears of the skin following the skin's cleavage lines. Drivers of two-wheeled vehicles may exhibit inguinal stretchmark-like tears when they hit an obstacle with their bent knee, suffering excessive abduction of the hip joint. Finally, stretchmark-like tears are described in victims of collisions with railed vehicles, of aircraft crashes and--very rarely--in severely injured car passengers.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Combined suicide by drinking acetic acid with subsequent hanging].

Three late emigrants of German origin from Russia (1 man, 2 women) drank 70- and 86% acetic acid respectively before hanging themselves. In one of the suicides the hanging noose was running across the face. None of the cases presented showed any perioral chemical burns. At autopsy an intense odor of acetic acid was noticeable. The mucosa of the upper digestive tract showed a whitish, grey, brown or black discoloration and was partially detached. In two cases intravascular clotting of blood was discernible in the area affected by the acid; in one case the vessels were imbibed with haemoglobin due to haemolysis. Highly concentrated acetic acid is generally available in the successor states of the former USSR and its use in suicides is thus not uncommon. The legal regulations applying in Germany to the sale of acetic acid and the toxicological data are briefly described.

Acetic Acid↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Misinterpretation of fetal high voltage and lightning accidents].

From medicolegal practice it is known that in deaths caused by low voltage, electric marks may be absent or inconspicuous so that they may remain undetected during the scene examination. That this may happen even in fatal high-voltage accidents is demonstrated by 4 examples from our own autopsy material. The cases reported shared the following features: The decedents were found outdoors under a high-voltage line with a several metres long conductive object being in the immediate vicinity of the body; no extensive burns as those seen after the impact of an electric arc; inconspicuous electric marks on the hands; clearly visible electrothermal skin lesions limited to body regions covered by clothing (especially soles of the feet). Another case report demonstrates that even fatal lightning accidents are not always recognized correctly.

Accidents, Occupational↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Death caused by accidental hanging in the hand strap loop of a garage door].

The authors report on a 10-year-old boy who accidentally hanged himself in the hand strap of a garage door. The door was an electric overhead door of an underground garage. The accident was reconstructed at the scene using a dummy. The strap of the door was long enough to be slipped over the head easily. In view of this background it seems advisable to consider whether the current safety regulations on the operation of electric doors should be changed accordingly.

Accidents, Home↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Plastic bag as the method in suicide and homicide].

The report describes a suicide and a homicide by suffocation in a plastic bag. Both cases were copy-cat acts. The suicide copied the method--taking medicines and pulling a plastic bag over his head from a personal model. In the homicide the perpetrator followed the example of a film sequence from the US feature film "Charade".

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Differential burns of head and pubic hair].

A woman, who was hospitalized with extensive burns in the genital and perineal region, accused her husband who lived apart from her to have inflicted the injuries with a lighter and a burning candle out of jealousy. The husband denied the accusations and stated that he wanted to singe off the pubic hair with the lighter during sadomasochist sexual practices performed in mutual agreement. As he did so extensive flames suddenly developed--something he had not expected--thus causing the burns. To check the statement cut off tufts of head and pubic hair were set on fire with a lighter to compare their burning behaviour. Pubic hair was easily inflammable and burnt almost completely within about 10 seconds developing up to 10 cm high flames, whereas straight head hair developed only minor flames and the singed hairs stopped burning spontaneously some seconds later already.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Extent of burn lesions--an analysis of 68 burned cadavers].

The burned bodies (n = 68) autopsied at the Freiburg Institute of Forensic Medicine in the years 1996-2001 (until the end of February) were examined with regard to the extent of consumption by the fire using the classifications suggested by Eckert et al., Maxeiner, Glassman and Crow, and Gerling et al. Further classification parameters were exposure of the body cavities and amputation of extremities as a result of the fire. Most cases were accidental deaths (approximately 75%). The fires occurred mainly in buildings (57%) or vehicles (34%); in 6 cases the burning took place in the open air. In most cases the degree of consumption by the fire was slight to moderate. Only 15% of the burned bodies showed extensive destruction with severe loss of soft tissue and shrinking or amputation of the extremities. In one case the soft tissue was completely destroyed with fragmentation of the calcined skeletal remains. In bodies recovered from house fired the extent of consumption by the fire was usually less pronounced than in bodies retrieved from burned-out vehicles.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[A case of fatal amniotic fluid embolism].

A 31-year-old pregnant woman (multipara), who was near the expected date of birth, was found dead in the joint flat by her partner. She was lying beside the bed and showed burns on the front of the body caused postmortem by contact with a radiator. Autopsy revealed a rupture of the fetal membranes, the inner layers of the uterus and a large vein. After centrifugation, the supernatant of the blood from the right half of the heart was turbid and contained small corpuscular amniotic fluid components. The diagnosis of amniotic fluid embolism could be confirmed histologically. In the pulmonary vessels of the mother meconium, lanugo hairs and epidermic scales could be demonstrated; in addition the fetal horny lamellae were confirmed immunohistochemically (using monoclonal antibody against cytokeratin).

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Hypostasis-induced changes in the breast area].

When the anterior thoracic wall is within the hypostatic area, postmortem lividity in the region of the nipples and their immediate vicinity is less intense or absent. Where hypostatic skin haemorrhages (so-called vibices) are present, these are also found outside the areola of the nipple only. This phenomenon is visible not only externally, but is particularly pronounced on the cut surface. A possible explanation may be the different distribution pattern of connective tissue, smooth muscles and blood vessels inside and outside the areola mammae. Based on 13 cases from the forensic autopsy material--mostly drug related deaths--the macromorphological findings and their histological correlates are presented.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Mandibular fracture caused by absolute close-range gunshot with a blank cartridge fright weapon].

Bony injuries caused by starter's pistols were repeatedly observed in the form of fractures of the temporal squama and other thin osseous lamellae; in experiments rib fractures could also be produced. In the presented case a contact shot from a blank cartridge pistol caused a fracture of the lower jaw (transverse fracture with a bone fragment split off in reg. 46). The friend of the 17-year-old victim had fired a shot to the right mandibular region during an argument. In the depth of the gunshot entrance wound, which communicated with the oral cavity, intense soot deposits were found as signs of the contact shot.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Defined contusion marks caused by the knife handle].

If in inflicting a stab wound the knife is vigorously pushed in up to the end of the blade, this does not only cause cutting of the tissue, but also a blunt traumatization. The resulting abrasions can correspond with the respective construction parts (handle, handguard, devices for fixing the open blade) as to position, shape and size, thus allowing conclusions as to the shape of the instrument used. Incomplete, one-sided marks of the handle suggest an oblique-angled stab. The presence of a contusion mark shows that the blade penetrated completely, which makes it easier to draw conclusions as to the length of the blade from the depth of penetration. The reconstruction possibilities are demonstrated on the basis of three autopsies (homicide cases with different types of knives).

Adult↗