Aufbruchstimmung in der Rechtsmedizin?: Virtopsy Basic Course

Forensic medicine aims for the documentation of medical and other forensic findings in living and deceased persons for the police and the judiciary system. While in forensic genetics and forensic toxicology, high technology procedures are part of the daily work, forensic pathology is still using the old established techniques from former centuries. New methods like 3D-surface scanning and modern radiology procedures like computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are becoming more and more part of scientific research in forensic sciences and are today part of the routine workflow in a some institutes of legal medicine. As a sign of this increasing interest the first Virtopsy basic course was held in September 2006 at the Center for Forensic Imaging/Virtopsy in the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bern, Switzerland. Participants from Austria, Germany, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, Turkey and the USA took part in this first hands-on course in forensic radiology and surface scannin

"Death may come on like a stroke of lightening ...”: Phenomenological and morphological aspects of fatalities caused by manure gas

Due to the decomposition of biological material, hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is produced. In low concentrations, the well-known smell of "rotten eggs” is associated with H2S. In higher concentrations, H2S is an odourless and colourless gas that may cause rapid loss of consciousness, neurological and respiratory depression and imminent death—"... like a stroke of lightening”. Hydrogen sulphide poisoning is an un-common incident that is often associated with colleague fatalities. In this study, 4 fatal accidents with 10 deceased victims are reported and the morphological and phenomenological aspects are presented. In these cases, the morphological findings, namely, discolouration of the livores, pulmonary pathologies and sub-mucosal or sub-serosal congestion bleeding were found in nearly all cases. Also the impending threat for colleagues, first aid helpers and professional rescue teams is demonstrated. The suspicion of a fatal H2S intoxication should be based on a precise scene analysis with respect to the possibility of life-threatening H2S intoxication for the helpers, the typical scent of rotten eggs, which may be noted on the corpses and the abovementioned morphological findings. The diagnosis should be confirmed by a qualitative and, if possible, quantitative analysis of H2

Radiosektion: Computertomographie-assistierte Rekonstruktion eines erweiterten Suizids

Zusammenfassung: Erweiterte Suizide durch Schusswaffen sind häufig durch eine sorgfältige Fundortanalyse zu klären. Im dargestellten Fall wurde eine 38-jährige Frau in Rückenlage auf dem Bett im Schlafzimmer aufgefunden. Im Bereich der linken Brust fand sich eine rundliche Einschusswunde. Neben dem Bett wurde eine Schusswaffe gefunden. Im Wohnzimmer lag ein 40-jähriger Mann in Bauchlage auf der Erde in einer größeren Blutlache. Ein unvollendeter Abschiedsbrief fand sich auf dem Esstisch. Nach der äußeren Leichenschau am Fundort erfolgte eine Röntgenschichtuntersuchung. Hierdurch wurde bei der Frau ein absteigender Schusskanal von der linken Brust durch die Herzspitze dargestellt. Das Projektil konnte im Rippenzwischenraum nahe der Wirbelsäule lokalisiert werden. Bei dem Mann wurden ein Schusskanal durch den harten Gaumen und ein Projektil in der Schädelhöhle festgestellt; dieses lag nicht in einer Linie mit dem Schusskanal, sodass ein "Ringelschuss" diagnostiziert wurde. Die nachfolgende Sektion beider Leichen bestätigte die Befunde. Die bei der Autopsie sichergestellten Projektile konnten durch ballistische Untersuchungen der am Ereignisort sichergestellten Waffe zugeordnet werde

Virtopsy: Zukunftsträchtige Forschung in der Rechtsmedizin

Computed tomography techniques have been developed over the last 10 years and have found various applications in the forensic field. The most recent development is multislice computed tomography combined with photogrammetry-based surface optical scanning and image rendering techniques. This combination of techniques can be used to produce 3-dimensional images of injury patterns for comparison with suspect weapons and also to screen for pathological conditions in the living or deceased. This technology provides a minimally invasive procedure for capturing forensically relevant images which can be produced in the courtroom. The rapid developments in imaging techniques could provide an alternative to conventional autopsy procedures in the futur

Handler beliefs affect scent detection dog outcomes

Our aim was to evaluate how human beliefs affect working dog outcomes in an applied environment. We asked whether beliefs of scent detection dog handlers affect team performance and evaluated relative importance of human versus dog influences on handlers’ beliefs. Eighteen drug and/or explosive detection dog/handler teams each completed two sets of four brief search scenarios (conditions). Handlers were falsely told that two conditions contained a paper marking scent location (human influence). Two conditions contained decoy scents (food/toy) to encourage dog interest in a false location (dog influence). Conditions were (1) control; (2) paper marker; (3) decoy scent; and (4) paper marker at decoy scent. No conditions contained drug or explosive scent; any alerting response was incorrect. A repeated measures analysis of variance was used with search condition as the independent variable and number of alerts as the dependent variable. Additional nonparametric tests compared human and dog influence. There were 225 incorrect responses, with no differences in mean responses across conditions. Response patterns differed by condition. There were more correct (no alert responses) searches in conditions without markers. Within marked conditions, handlers reported that dogs alerted more at marked locations than other locations. Handlers’ beliefs that scent was present potentiated handler identification of detection dog alerts. Human more than dog influences affected alert locations. This confirms that handler beliefs affect outcomes of scent detection dog deployments

Enhanced Characterization of the Smell of Death by Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (GCxGC-TOFMS)

Soon after death, the decay process of mammalian soft tissues begins and leads to the release of cadaveric volatile compounds in the surrounding environment. The study of postmortem decomposition products is an emerging field of study in forensic science. However, a better knowledge of the smell of death and its volatile constituents may have many applications in forensic sciences. Domestic pigs are the most widely used human body analogues in forensic experiments, mainly due to ethical restrictions. Indeed, decomposition trials on human corpses are restricted in many countries worldwide. This article reports on the use of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GCxGC-TOFMS) for thanatochemistry applications. A total of 832 VOCs released by a decaying pig carcass in terrestrial ecosystem, i.e. a forest biotope, were identified by GCxGC-TOFMS. These postmortem compounds belong to many kinds of chemical class, mainly oxygen compounds (alcohols, acids, ketones, aldehydes, esters), sulfur and nitrogen compounds, aromatic compounds such as phenolic molecules and hydrocarbons. The use of GCxGC-TOFMS in study of postmortem volatile compounds instead of conventional GC-MS was successful

"Death may come on like a stroke of lightening ..." : Phenomenological and morphological aspects of fatalities caused by manure gas

Due to the decomposition of biological material, hydrogen sulphide (H(2)S) is produced. In low concentrations, the well-known smell of "rotten eggs" is associated with H(2)S. In higher concentrations, H(2)S is an odourless and colourless gas that may cause rapid loss of consciousness, neurological and respiratory depression and imminent death-"... like a stroke of lightening". Hydrogen sulphide poisoning is an un-common incident that is often associated with colleague fatalities. In this study, 4 fatal accidents with 10 deceased victims are reported and the morphological and phenomenological aspects are presented. In these cases, the morphological findings, namely, discolouration of the livores, pulmonary pathologies and sub-mucosal or sub-serosal congestion bleeding were found in nearly all cases. Also the impending threat for colleagues, first aid helpers and professional rescue teams is demonstrated. The suspicion of a fatal H(2)S intoxication should be based on a precise scene analysis with respect to the possibility of life-threatening H(2)S intoxication for the helpers, the typical scent of rotten eggs, which may be noted on the corpses and the abovementioned morphological findings. The diagnosis should be confirmed by a qualitative and, if possible, quantitative analysis of H(2)S

Two extraordinary autoerotic fatalities

No abstract availabl