ABSTRACT
Suicides by self-poisoning are common in all parts of the world. Among these intoxications, gases are rarely used, especially carbon dioxide (CO2). Very few cases of self-inflicted and deliberate carbon dioxide poisonings have been reported. This paper presents two uncommon suicides by carbon dioxide intoxication. In one case, a 53-year-old man tightly sealed a small bathroom and locked himself in it likely with dry ice. Warning notices were tagged to the door. In another case, a 48-year-old man working in a restaurant committed suicide by closing himself in a walk-in refrigerator and opening the stored carbon dioxide containers intended for the beverage dispensing equipment. The limited possibilities of proving lethal CO2 intoxications post-mortem necessitate a close cooperation of the involved parties during investigation. Only the synopsis of all findings permits a sound assessment regarding the manner and cause of death.
Subject(s)
Carbon Dioxide/poisoning , Confined Spaces , Suicide , Brain Edema/pathology , Dry Ice/adverse effects , Ethanol/analysis , Forensic Pathology , Forensic Toxicology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Myocardium/pathology , Pulmonary Edema/pathologyABSTRACT
Apart from collisions with road or rail vehicles and falls from height, self inflicted blunt force is a rare suicide method and mainly seen in psychiatric patients. The paper presents a rare case of suicide by active blunt force. A 68-year-old man committed suicide by repeatedly hitting his head with a stone. He sustained a craniocerebral trauma and finally died from hypothermia due to the low outdoor temperature. According to the relatives, the man was not diagnosed with a mental disorder or suicidal tendencies. Uncommon manners of self-harm are challenging for those involved in the investigation, and a differentiation between suicide, accident and homicide can only be made in synopsis of all findings.
Subject(s)
Head Injuries, Closed/etiology , Head Injuries, Closed/pathology , Suicide , Aged , Chromatography, Liquid , Cold Temperature/adverse effects , Forensic Pathology , Hematoma, Epidural, Cranial/pathology , Humans , Hypothermia/etiology , Illicit Drugs/blood , Male , Pharmaceutical Preparations/blood , Skull Fractures/pathology , Tandem Mass SpectrometryABSTRACT
During a Christmas party, two male guests started fighting. The perpetrator was allegedly pushed onto a glass table by the victim or fell into the table together with that man so that the glass top broke and caused a cut wound on the perpetrator's back. According to his statement he then threw a fragment of the broken glass table in the direction of the other man hitting him accidentally in a way so that the subclavian artery was severed and he died from exsanguination. Tests on the breaking characteristics of the glass table, the flying behaviour and the kinetics of thrown glass fragments conducted on various models supported the conclusion that the fatal injury on the victim's neck could not have been caused by a thrown glass fragment. It was much more likely that a stab with a blade-shaped glass fragment was the cause of the fatal injuries.
Subject(s)
Glass , Neck Injuries/etiology , Subclavian Artery/injuries , Wounds, Stab/pathology , Adolescent , Biomechanical Phenomena , Forensic Pathology , Humans , Jugular Veins/injuries , Jugular Veins/pathology , Kinetics , Male , Models, Biological , Neck Injuries/pathology , Subclavian Artery/pathologyABSTRACT
Complete relaxation can be achieved by floating in a darkened, sound-proof relaxation tank filled with salinated water kept at body temperature. Under these conditions, meditation exercises up to self-hypnosis may lead to deep relaxation with physical and mental revitalization. A user manipulated his tank, presumably to completely cut off all optical and acoustic stimuli and accidentally also covered the ventilation hole. The man was found dead in his relaxation tank. The findings suggested lack of oxygen as the cause of death.
Subject(s)
Asphyxia/pathology , Environment, Controlled , Hydrotherapy/adverse effects , Relaxation Therapy/instrumentation , Sodium Chloride , Autopsy/legislation & jurisprudence , Carbon Dioxide/blood , Cause of Death , Diagnosis, Differential , Humans , Hydrotherapy/instrumentation , Male , Postmortem Changes , Ventilation/instrumentationABSTRACT
While playing, a 33/4-year-old girl was hiding in a tumble dryer, which had been running before and started the drying process with rotation of the drum again after the girl had climbed into the machine and shut the door. The child suffered multiple haematomas, especially on the back and the lower arms, as well as second-degree burns on body regions not covered by the clothing. The injury pattern was consistent with the properties of the appliance, and the initial suspicion that the child had been physically abused could not be maintained.
Subject(s)
Accidents, Home/legislation & jurisprudence , Burns/etiology , Child Abuse/legislation & jurisprudence , Contusions/etiology , Hematoma/etiology , Lip/injuries , Child Abuse/diagnosis , Child, Preschool , Diagnosis, Differential , Expert Testimony/legislation & jurisprudence , Female , Germany , HumansABSTRACT
If autopsy findings in an infant show traumatic changes on the skullcap, these are not always the result of a postnatal trauma due to child abuse, a fall or another accidental event. With regard to differential diagnosis a birth trauma should also be kept in mind, so that the history of the delivery is important. The spectrum of possible residues after vacuum extraction (circular fracture and/or elevation of the outer table of skull bones, subperiostal and intraossal haematoma, extradural and subdural haemorrhage) is demonstrated by means of three examples from the forensic autopsy material.
