Sciencedoze: Science, Education and Technology

A) Cold Injuries 1. General Effects 1. Hypothermia Exposure of the body to cold, below temperature 35 ℃ (95 ℉) is called Hypothermia. When the temperature of the body falls below 32 ℃  to 24 ℃ , there is disorientation, loss of consciousness, loss of reflex, and a fall in respiration heart rate, and blood pressure. Red patches and pallor of the skin, edema of the face, and stiffness of neck muscle may be seen. Postmortem Findings 1. External Patches of pink/brownish-pink discoloration on the skin. Edema on feet and blistering of skin can be seen. The extremities may be white (White deaths) 2. Internal Lungs are congested and show hemorrhages. The heart shows dilation of the right atrium and ventricle. Wischnewslay spots may be seen in the stomach. Fatty changes in the liver and contracted spleen. Hemorrhages in core muscle. Ulceration of the colon. 2. Local Effects 1. Chilblain These are red, itching, and skin lesions due to exposure to cold. They may be associated with edema and ...

(A) Death due to Electricity When an electric current passed through a human body, it produces localized muscular spasms, tiny marks, and even death with little or no apparent burns. Factors affecting injuries by electric current 1. Kind of current Alternating current (AC) is around 5 times more risky than direct current (DC). AC causes tetany stimulation and doesn't let the person lose the grip of the electric source until the power gets off whereas DC tends to cause single muscle contraction, throwing the victim and resulting in blunt injuries. 2. Amount of Current The flow of current is directly proportional to the voltage applied to it (V=IR). Electrocution is rare at less than 100 V and most death occur at greater than 200 V. 3. Path of Current Death is more likely to occur if the brainstem or heart is in the direct path of the current. 4. Duration of current flow The severity of injuries is directly proportional to the duration of the current flow. For an electric shock ...

Introduction to Transportation Injuries These injuries are blunt force injuries that happen due to traveling on the ground, air, and water. The most common transportation injuries are motor and pedestrian injuries. Following are the various transportation injuries: Types of Transportation Injuries A) Vehicular Injuries These injuries are blunt force injuries that happen due to traveling on the ground either walking and being hit by some car or simply driving a car and crashing it. Those injured by accidents can be divided into three broad groups that are pedestrians, cyclists (Pedal or motor), and the drivers/passenger of vehicles. 1. Pedestrian Injuries (i) Primary Impact Injuries These injuries are produced when any part of the victim first strikes the vehicle. Generally, when an adult is hit by the front of a car, the front bumper will strike the victim at about knee level. This will help to establish the position of the victim and in crime scene reconstruction. The position of the...

What is Death? Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that helps to sustain an organism. The remains of a dead organism normally begin to decompose shortly after death. Death is an inevitable, a universal process that eventually occurs in all living organisms. Types of Death There are mainly two types of death 1. Somatic Death It is also known as clinical death . It refers to the complete and irreversible cessation of the function of the brain followed by the cessation of the function of the heart and lungs. 2. Molecular death It is also known as cell death. It refers to the complete and irreversible cessation of individual tissues of the cells. It takes place after the somatic death and in this type of death individual cells and other biomolecules in the system die.  This happens due to the loss of blood flow and oxygen for the survival of cells and tissues. Causes of death 1. Asphyxia The death of an individual due to interference with the intake of oxyge...

What are Mechanical Injuries? Injuries that are produced by any kind of mechanical force like blunt, sharp objects, firearms, etc are known as mechanical injuries. Injuries are defined as any harm to any person in body, mind, reputation, or property. Types of mechanical Injuries (A) Blunt force mechanical injuries Injuries caused by blunt force impact by objects like bat pipe, rod, etc are known as blunt force mechanical injuries. The injuries by blunt force produce abrasion, bruise, laceration, etc. 1. Abrasion Injury caused by the removal of the superficial epithelial layer of skin (generally epidermis) by friction against the rough surface is called abrasion. Following are the types of abrasion: (a) Scratch/ Linear Abrasion Linear abrasion is caused by a sharp or pointed object like a fingernail, thorn, or pin on the surface of the skin. It has some length but no significant width. (b) Graze abrasion (sliding/scrape/grinding abrasion) Graze abrasion is caused by horizontal or ta...