Blunt Trauma

Blunt-force injuries are produced when the body is struck with or strikes a blunt object [1–5]. Both mechanisms result in a transfer of kinetic energy that is high enough to produce an injury. Blunt objects have a relatively large area. Examples of blunt objects are almost infinite: fists, shoes, pipes, bricks, bats, hammers, the ground, or parts of vehicles such as cars, trains, or airplanes. A blunt surface produces injuries by torsion, compression, scraping, tearing, shearing, or crushing. Blunt-force injuries occur in many kinds of medico-legal situations and contexts: criminal assaults, physical child abuse, traffic accidents, and falls (criminal, accidental, or suicidal). The severity of the injuries resulting from trauma is a balance between the amount of force, the area over which it is applied, and the duration of the force [2, 6]. In general, the greater the force, the smaller the area, or the shorter the duration over which the force is applied, the greater the injury will be

Plants and aromatics for embalming in Late Middle Ages and modern period: a synthesis of written sources and archaeobotanical data (France, Italy)

International audienceOccasionally mentioned in written sources since the Early Middle Ages, embalming with evisceration spreads considerably and becomes quite usual practice for aristocratic elites from the late 13th century to the early 19th century. Apothecaries prepare aromatic powders including many plant organs and exudates supposed to preserve the body. Numerous encyclopaedias and treatises of medicine list these ingredients and show that the recipes are very diverse. Moreover, several studies of embalmed bodies have demonstrated the potential of archaeobotanical analyses coupling pollen and macro-remains for identifying this material. This paper aims to compile a synthesis of written and archaeological sources from France and Italy, and to assess the relevance of an interdisciplinary approach for a better understanding of this aristocratic burial practice. It demonstrates that both types of sources and approaches are strongly complementary and highlights their inherent advantages and methodological limitations. In order to understand which criteria were determinant in the composition of the embalming powders, their medicinal, odoriferous and symbolic properties are discussed. Finally, this work proposes some methodological perspectives and triggers new research avenues on the history of pharmacy in Late Medieval and modern Europe

Imaging Techniques for Postmortem Forensic Radiology

Postmortem forensic radiology aims to acquisition, interpretation, and reporting of radiologic images for the purpose of forensic investigations, in the living as well as the deceased. Conventional radiology still remains the most common modality used in the forensic setting and the gold standard method for many forensic challenges. X-rays are commonly used for visualization and localization of foreign bodies, and for body identification and identities confirmation. Computed tomography (PMCT) is the most frequent imaging tool in forensic pathology besides X-ray. Indications of PMCT are especially focused on cases of unnatural deaths: traumatic events such as bone fractures and nonaccidental injury in children; gunshot injuries; hanging, strangulation, and drowning cases; putrefied, carbonized, and badly damaged bodies. In order to visualize the soft tissue, especially organs, MRI can be used. Although this technique has the potential to overcome the limitations of PCMT, it is only rarely used in forensic imaging as it is a complex technology requiring specific training, expensive, and with some complication in execution due to body size, artifact, and protocols. MRI is of special significance for the diagnosis of natural death, especially related to diseases of the cardiovascular or central nervous system, and for investigations concerning neonatal and perinatal deaths. Comparing the results of postmortem imaging with subsequent autopsies, rates of major discrepancies between cause of death identified by radiology and autopsy of 32% for PMCT, 43% for PMMR, and 30% for PMCT + PMMRI have been reported. Vice versa, different studies have demonstrated that PMCT or PMMRI in conjunction with conventional postmortem examinations can augment the value of postmortem examinations, providing more information than either examination alone