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JIAFM, 2007 - 29(4); ISSN: 0971-0973 • Majority of the victims were poorly educated, non-working (housewives), belonging to middle or lower-middle socio-economic groups. Their marriage was arranged and they were living with their in-laws in joint family. • Husbands were either unemployed or poor salaried and they were dependent on parents for most of the expenses. • Family life of the victim was not happy in most of the cases. Pressure for more dowry, illtreatment/ torture by in-laws, rash & negligent behavior or extra-marital affairs of husband were the important reasons behind family unhappiness. • Half of the deaths were suicidal. Homicidal & accidental cases shared equally the remaining half. As a whole, burning was the most common cause of death but hanging was the commonest in suicidal, strangulation in homicidal and burning in accidental deaths. • Ill-treatment by the in-laws, excessive pressure for dowry and negligent behavior of husband were the main reasons behind suicidal deaths. Failure to fulfill dowry demands & opposing extra-marital affairs of husband were main reasons in homicidal deaths & wearing loose synthetic sari while cooking on unprotected flame in cases of accidental deaths. References: 1. Viz K: Forensic Medicine & Toxicology. Reed Elsevier India Private ltd, 2005; 259-60. 2. The Dowry Prohibition Act. Gazette of India, Extra: (Pt.II). 3 (ii) June 20 th , 1961, p. 1005. 3. The Dowry Prohibition (Amendment) Act. Gazette of India, Extra: (Pt.II), 3 (ii) Aug. 19 th , 1985, SI.396. 4. Nandy A: Principles of Forensic Medicine. New Central Book Agency (Pvt.) Ltd, Calcutta, 2000; 350-52. 5. Subrahmanyam B V: Modi’s Medical Jurisprudence & Toxicology. Butterworths India, New Delhi, 1999; 318-19. 6. Srivastava A K, DasGupta S M & Tripathi C B: A study of fatal strangulation cases in Varanasi (India). Am. J. Forensic Med. Pathol. 8 (1988) 224. 7. DasGupta S M & Tripathi C B: Burn Wife Syndrome. Ann. Acad. Med. Singapore, 13(i) (1984) 37-42. 8. Gupta R K, & Srivastava A K: Study of fatal burn cases in Kanpur (India). Forensic Science International, 37 (1988) 81- 89. 67
Dilemma for Autopsy Surgeon JIAFM, 2007 - 29(4); ISSN: 0971-0973 *Dr. Gaurav Sharma, *Dr. Harnam Singh, *Dr. Shilekh Mittal, *Dr Rahul Chawla, **Dr (Mrs.) Raminder Sandhu. *Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, MM Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Mullana (Ambala). **Demonstrator, Department of Forensic Medicine, SGRD Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Amritsar. Abstract Postmortem artifacts are commonly encountered problems in routine. They had to wrong interpretation in number of cases especially at the hands of an inexperienced autopsy surgeon and hence may mislead the course of justice. So it is suggested that all the doctors concerned with medicolegal work, especially autopsies, should be well versed with these artifacts. Then only our opinion will be conclusive and aid in the administration of justice. KEY WORDS: - Postmortem artifacts. Introduction: Forensic medicine is best learned by a judicious combination of theoretical and practical knowledge. A good forensic expert is one who has not merely a vast experience in conducting autopsies, but one who has trained himself to make precise and correct interpretation of the findings. One must not allow dogmatism or inflexibility to cloud one’s judgment. A self- opinionated expert is a poor expert. There are several inherent pitfalls that must be avoided in the course of medicolegal autopsies which can lead to erroneous or fallacious conclusions. Every forensic pathologist must familiarize himself with these postmortem artefacts that are liable to misinterpretation. Postmortem Artefacts are due to any change caused or features introduced in a body after death. The artefacts are physiologically unrelated to the natural state of the body or tissues or the disease process, to which the body was subjected to before death. Ignorance and misinterpretation of such postmortem artefacts leads to: Wrong cause of death Wrong manner of death Under suspicion of criminal offence A halt in the investigation of criminal death Unnecessary spending of time and effort as a result of misleading findings or even Miscarriage of justice[1, 2] Classification: A. Artefacts of decomposition Bloating and discoloration: Putrefaction of the body leads to most common artefacts. It leads to swelling of lips, nose, eyelids, protrusion of tongue and eyes, distension of chest and abdomen and swelling of extremities. Vesication: Formation of fluid filled blebs beneath the epidermis is common phenomenon of putrefaction. Differential diagnosis of such blebs from antemortem burns is important. Purging In a warm atmosphere, body fluids frequently start purging out of mouth and nostrils of dead body. Non uniform decomposition Putrefaction tends to be accelerated at the place where skin has been broken or blood has accumulated in the tissues. Rupture of oesophagus or stomach Occasionally and for unexplained reasons agonal or postmortem digestion of the wall of the stomach or oesophagus occurs very rapidly and contents of stomach are found free in the peritoneal or pleural cavity. Autolysis of pancreas Agonal or postmortem autolysis of pancreas may be well advanced. Abnormal distensibility of rectum/ vulva/ vagina:- After rigor mortes has passed off, these muscular canals become readily distensible to a larger extent than that during life. There may occur inversion of uterus along with postmortem delivery. (Figure 1) 68
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Contradictory Skull and Age Estimat
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A Study of Burn Deaths in Imphal JI
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