Patterns of fatal scald burns in Central Delhi A retrospective study.

Thirty six unselected autopsy cases of fatal scald burn received from Central Delhi were studied during the period from July 1998 to June 2010 at Department of Forensic Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College and associated Hospitals, Delhi. The data was analyzed with regard to age, sex, place of occurrence, pattern of injury, mode of infliction, survival period, cause and manner of death. The cases represented approximately 0.31% of all autopsy received during the same period. There were 24 males (66.7%) and 12 females (33.3%) with male to female ratio 2:1. The age range of the victims was 10 months to 70 yrs with mean age of 16.93 years and Standard deviation of 19.32. Domestic accidents were attributed to 72.2% of all deaths. All except one case were accidental in nature. Hot water splashing from the cooking utensils/ falling over to boiled water in kitchen (68.75%) was the most common mode of injury. Thorax (86.1%) was the most common body region involved. The average total body surface area (TBSA) burn was 50.83%.The mean survival period of all victims was 3.83 days. All the victims were hospitalized after the incident and in majority (75%) of them died due to septicemia.

Fatal nitrobenzene poisoning: Some case reports and medicolegal aspects.

Nitrobenzene is a synthetic organic compound, pale yellow in colour, freely soluble in alcohol, with a pleasant odour like that of bitter almonds or shoe polish. It is widely used in chemical industry, and is present in commercial products such as shoe and metal polish, ink, paint remover and soap. Poisoning due to nitrobenzene is usually chronic in nature, mainly due to occupational exposure, except for a few acute cases of industrial accidents or suicides. We report three cases of fatal nitrobenzene poisoning through oral ingestion. All persons consumed alcohol prior to, or along with nitrobenzene. The alleged manner of poisoning was different in every case (one case each of homicide, suicide and accident). Clinical features, autopsy findings and medicolegal aspects of nitrobenzene poisoning are discussed.

A suicidal hanging with unusual findings at crime scene.

A 42 year old male, was found hanging by a plastic rope in his unbolted bed room. The rope was found attached to two suspension points (one end attached to the window panel and the other side to the ceiling knob) and the middle part of it used for the binding of neck. There was no knot present in the ligature as the right hand was found holding the ligature loop for the purpose of constriction of neck .A towel was found covering the head and underneath the ligature material on the neck used for padding. Blood stain was present on the floor below the suspended body which oozed out from the haemorrhoids. He was holding the cloth, wore in lower half of the body up to the mid thigh label, which appreciated by the authors as cadaveric spasm that developed in his flexor muscles of left hand. Detailed autopsy, crime scene examination and police investigation supported the manner of death as suicidal.

Estimation of stature from hand length.

The present study comprised of a sample of 150 healthy individuals (75 males and 75 females) studying in various colleges of Delhi. All the individuals were measured for height and hand length. The data thus obtained have been subjected to statistical computation for deriving the regression equations. Bilateral asymmetry in hand measurements were statistically insignificant. Regression equations were derived for right and left hand separately by which living stature may be fairly accurately estimated when a fragmentary or mutilated portion of upper extremity is recovered. Using the regression formula derived in this study, stature can be estimated within the error of +4.0 to 4.6cm from hand length.