The Statistical Analysis on Legal Autopsy in 2001: The Headquarters of National Institute of Scientific Investigation / 대한법의학회지

ABSTRACT

This is a statistical analysis based on the data of legal autopsies performed at the Headquarters of the National Institute Scientific Investigation(NISI), requested by every kind of law enforcement agencies during the year of 2001. NISI is located in Seoul, Korea and has three branches throughout the country. The Seoul NISI covers all legal autopsies in Seoul City, Incheon City, and Kyunggi Province and some cases referred from other regions. This report aims to analyse various aspects of 2,807 unusual deaths in Korea, chiefly Seoul and its surrounding area. Followings are the summary of the results. 1. The number of male was 2,043 cases (72.8%) and that of female 764 (27.2%). Male was over twice more than female. The forties were 723 cases (25.8%), the thirties 641 (22.8%), and these two decades occupied 48.6%. 2. Unnatural deaths were 1,690 cases (60.2%), natural 1020 (36.3%), and the unknown 97 (3.5%). Among 1,690 unnatural deaths, suicide was 415 (24.6%), homicide 418 (24.7%), accident 505 (29.9%), and the unclear 352 (20.8%). Homicide occupied 37.1% of trauma, 44.1% of blunt force injury excluding traffic and fall-down injury, and 83.5% of sharp force injury. The homicide rate in asphyxia was 32.5%, but it went up to 62.7% excluding hanging. It showed only 1.0% of homicide in poisoning. 3. Traumatic deaths were 825 cases, occupying 48,8% of 1,690 unnatural deaths, followed by asphyxial death (249 cases). Blunt trauma was 295 cases (35.8%) and the leading cause of death in traumatic death. Poisoning was 213 cases, among which the agrochemicals were dominant (68 cases). Thermal injuries were 193 cases, electrocution 31 cases, and starvation/neglect 10 cases. 36 cases were direct- 4. Among 1,020 natural deaths, heart diseases were 398 cases (39.0%), and vascular diseases 145 (14.2%), and these two categories were added up to 543 (53.2%). 5. Child deaths under the age of 10 were 194 cases. Homicide was 43 cases (48.9%) out of 88 unnatural deaths. Neonates including still births were the leading period of age in unnatural death, counting 64 cases(33.0%).