1.
Mechanical Trauma & Injuries
Abrasions
• Summary: Superficial injuries involving the destruction or removal of the outermost
layer of skin (epidermis) caused by friction or pressure.
• Injuries Caused: Scrapes, scratches, grazes, or imprint patterns (e.g., rope marks,
tire treads).
• Forensic Significance: Indicates the direction of force, type of weapon/object,
approximate time of injury (healing stage), and whether force was applied ante-
mortem (shows vital reaction/scabbing) or post-mortem.
Contusions (Bruises)
• Summary: Extravasation of blood into the subcutaneous tissue due to rupture of
capillaries caused by blunt force impact without breaking the skin surface.
• Injuries Caused: Soft tissue swelling, skin discoloration progressing over time
(red/purple blue/black - green - yellow).
• Forensic Significance: Indicates blunt force impact, pattern can mirror the weapon
(e.g., tramline bruises from a baton), provides a rough timeline based on color
changes, and proves ante-mortem injury.
Lacerations
• Summary: Tear or split in the skin and underlying tissues caused by shearing or
crushing forces from blunt trauma.
• Injuries Caused: Irregular, torn wound margins, tissue bridging (intact
nerves/vessels stretching across the wound floor), abrasion of wound edges, and
scalp bleeding.
• Forensic Significance: Differentiates blunt force trauma from sharp force trauma
(due to tissue bridging and crushed margins), indicates direction of impact, and
often contains foreign trace evidence (dirt, glass, paint).
Incised & Stab Wounds
• Summary: Sharp force trauma caused by edged instruments (knives, razor blades,
glass). Incised wounds are wider than deep; stab wounds are deeper than wide.
• Injuries Caused: Clean-cut wound margins without tissue bridging, severe external
or internal hemorrhage, organ perforation.
• Forensic Significance: Distinguishes homicidal, suicidal, or accidental intent (e.g.,
hesitate marks in suicide, defense wounds on hands in homicide), identifies blade
shape/width, and determines direction of entry.
2. Key Forensic Poisons & Fatal Doses
Mechanism & Forensic Key Features /
Poison Fatal Dose
Significance Injuries
50–100 mg Inhibits cytochrome c Bright "cherry-pink"
Cyanide
(HCN) oxidase, blocking cellular post-mortem lividity,
(HCN /
150–300 mg oxygen utilization. Rapidly bitter almond odor on
KCN)
(KCN) fatal. autopsy.
Heavy metal binding to Severe gastroenteritis
Arsenic sulfhydryl groups; disrupts ("rice-water" stools),
100–200 mg
Trioxide cellular metabolism. Classic Mees' lines on nails,
historical poison. mucosal erosion.
>50% Hb Binds hemoglobin with Distinct bright cherry-
Carbon
saturation (or ~200x higher affinity than red skin, mucosal, and
Monoxide
>0.4% air oxygen, forming visceral organ
(CO)
conc.) carboxyhemoglobin. coloration.
Antagonizes glycine Severe muscle spasms,
receptors in spinal cord, opisthotonos (arched
Strychnine 30–100 mg
causing uncontrolled reflex back), risus sardonicus
motor firing. (fixed grimace).
Depresses central nervous Pinpoint pupils (miosis),
100–200 mg
Morphine / system and respiratory severe pulmonary
(oral, non-
Opioids center via \mu-opioid edema ("froth at
tolerant)
receptors. nose/mouth").
Dark black sloughing of
Severe corrosive tissue
Sulfuric gastrointestinal tract,
10–15 mL destruction via dehydration
Acid severe chemical burns
and protein denaturation.
(vitriolage).
3. Hair Examination in Forensics
Human Hair Scale Pattern
The scale pattern on the cuticle (outer layer) of human hair is called Imbricate
(flattened, scale-like overlapping pattern with smooth margins, resembling roof shingles).
Human vs. Animal Hair Comparison
Feature Human Hair Animal Hair
Cuticle Scale Often Spinous (petal-like) or
Imbricate (flattened, overlapping)
Pattern Coronal (crown-like)
Medullary < 0.33 (Medulla occupies less > 0.50 (Medulla occupies more
Index (MI) than 1/3 of hair diameter) than 1/2 of hair diameter)
Medulla Usually absent, fragmented, or Commonly continuous, ladder-
Pattern discontinuous like, or complex
Evenly distributed, clustered
Pigment Clustered toward the
toward the cuticle/cortex
Distribution center/medulla
boundary
Color is generally consistent Color can change abruptly
Color Changes
along the shaft (banding) along the shaft
Variable (spear-shaped, wine-
Root Shape Bulb-shaped or club-shaped
glass-shaped, or irregular)