Classical Mistakes in Forensic Pathology PDF

## Classical Mistakes in Forensic Pathology **N. Not Being Aware Of The Objective Of The Medicolegal Autopsy** It should be realized that the medicolegal autopsy is often expected to provide information that would not be looked for in an ordinary hospital case. This information is of legal rather...

## Classical Mistakes in Forensic Pathology **N. Not Being Aware Of The Objective Of The Medicolegal Autopsy** It should be realized that the medicolegal autopsy is often expected to provide information that would not be looked for in an ordinary hospital case. This information is of legal rather than medical reasons. The pathologist should be aware that in addition to determining the cause of death, he (and he alone) may have access to information that may be essential in establishing: 1. The identity of the dead person. 2. The circumstances in which the fatal injury was sustained. 3. The type of weapon or agent that was responsible for the injury. 4. The cause of death. 5. Factors that may have predisposed the victim to injury, or modified the effects of the injury. 6. The identity of the person(s) responsible for the injury. **3. Mistake of Performing an Incomplete Autopsy** In a medicolegal autopsy examination of the cervical part of the spinal column, the larynx and the laryngopharynx should never be neglected. **4. Permitting The Body To Be Embalmed Before A Medicolegal Autopsy** Due to mechanical and chemical alterations that follow artifacts, inability to perform toxicology tests on blood thereafter. **5. Regarding A Mutilated/Decomposed Body Unsuitable For Autopsy** It is never too late to carry out a post mortem examination. **6. Mistake Resulting From Non Recognition/Misinterpretation Of PM Changes** Failing to make adequate exam and description of ext. abnormalities, the clothing should be examined before it is removed from the body and the skin before it is washed. In the protocol of medicolegal autopsy, it is better to describe 10 findings that may be of no significance than to omit one that may be critical. **7. Contrasting The Objective With The Adjective Sections Of The Protocol** The purpose of the medicolegal autopsy protocol is two-fold: one is to record a sufficiently detailed, factual, and non-interpretive description of the observed conditions, in order that a competent reader may form his own opinions in regard to the significance of the changes described. **8. Not Examining The Body At The Scene Of The Crime** **9. Substituting Intuition For Scientifically Defensible Interpretation** **10. Not Making Adequate Photographs Of The Evidence** Pathologists should prepare photographic records of all the critical evidence that can be photographed and particularly of evidence that might otherwise be altered or lost. **11. Not Exercising Good Judgement In The Taking/Handling Of Specimens For Toxicologic Examination** - Unclean containers - Contamination of specimens - Permitting blood/tissue to putrefy - Inadequate samples - Poorly selected samples - Unlabelled specimens - Continuity of responsibility for protection of evidence - Prevention of excess material - Facts bearing on identity of the poison: history should always be included. **12. Permitting The Value Of The Protocol To Be Jeopardized By Minor Errors** There should be no mistakes in a medicolegal autopsy even though they seem to be unimportant. **13. Miscellaneous Mistakes** (a) **Errors of omission in the collection of evidence required for identification** - Failure to make frontal, oblique and profile photos of the face. - Failure to have fingerprints made. - Failure to have a complete dental examination performed. (b) **Errors of omission in the collection of evidence required for establishing the time of death.** - Failure to record the rectal temperature of the body. - Failure to recognize the changes that may occur in the intensity and distribution of rigor mortis - before, during and after autopsy. - Failure to recognize the ingredients of the last meal and its location in the alimentary tract. (c) **Errors of omission in the collection of evidence required for other medicolegal purposes:** blood for grouping (d) **Errors of omission/commission that result in the production of undesirable artifacts or in the destruction of valid evidence.** **14. Mistake of talking too soon, too much or to the wrong people.** The only persons who are entitled to information derived from the results of your investigation are the coroners, the district attorney and the police. **FORENSIC APPLICATIONS OF DNA** 1. **Murder** - Blood on the weapon can be matched against the blood of the victim. - Bloodstains on the clothing or the person of the accused in case of murder can be matched with the blood of the victim. - Hair roots found on a weapon can be matched against the blood of the victim and accused. 2. **Sexual Crimes:** - Seminal DNA obtained from the vaginal aspirates or swabs, or from the skin or clothing of the victim is printed and compared with the DNA prints obtained from blood samples of the suspects. If they match, the suspect is criminal, otherwise not. If a condom is recovered it should be frozen intact. 3. **Paternity Disputes:** - The blood of the child, mother and alleged father are printed for DNA. - A child will have 50% DNA from Mother and 50% from father. - The bars in the child's code are matched first with the patterns of mother. - The remaining bars are then matched with the patterns of the father - The parents should not have had a blood transfusion within three months, before taking the sample. 4. **Identification of mutilated remains** - In cases of accidents, mass disasters, and bomb blasts, burnt bodies, putrefied bodies etc. DNA fingerprinting obtained from such remains can be compared with previous prints if available or with that of the close blood-relatives of the deceased, which can establish the links between family members. 5. **Extortion Cases:** - Saliva samples from envelopes, face masks, nasal secretions, saliva from cigarettes butts, etc 6. **Identification of bodies in exhumation cases** 7. **For tracing pedigrees and for establishing family relationship** 8. **All cases of biological identification** 9. **To exonerate a falsely implicated person of any crime**