PERSONAL IDENTITYEstablishment of

individuality of a person

Personal Identity

Identity may be required in:

The living

The dead

Recently dead

Putrefied / decomposed bodies

Mutilated bodies

Remains – soft tissues / skeletal remains

Personal Identity

LIVING

Computerized national identity card

Photographs – Front & profile

Permanent identification marks – moles /

scars / tatoos / birth marks

Signature / thumb impression

Identification by examination of Ires

Personal Identity

IDENTITY MAY HAVE TO BE DETERMINED IN:

1. Mass disasters

2. Where C.N.I.C. Not available

3. Traffic accidents

4. Absconding soldiers

5. Mixed up babies in maternity ward

6. Lost memory patient

7. Wanted criminals

8. Impersonation

Personal Identity

DETERMINATION OF PERSONAL IDENTITY

3rd party identification

Subjective methods

Objective identification

Personal IdentityParameters of Identification

Age, sex, stature , weight Physical characters

Facial features Eyes, nose, lips, chin, cheek, teeth, Iris – color and

pattern Secondary – sexual characters Acquired characters e.g. scars, tatoos, fibroids etc. Congenital characters e.g. moles Gait, voice Professional stigmas – water carriers, cleaners,

photographers etc. Belongings – watch, glasses, wallet

Personal Identity

Methods of Identification

1. CNIC – Particulars / Photograph / Finger Prints/ Iris

examination

2. Finger Printing – Including Poroscopy

3. Serology – DNA / Blood Grouping

4. Cytology

5. Osteology

6. Radiology

7. Examination of hair

8. Autopsy / Post Mortem examination

Personal Identity

3rd Party Verification Of Identity By Relatives / Friends

Subjective : Physical characters Facial features Height and weight Belongings

Personal IdentitySubjective identification: Body as a whole:

Age, sex, stature , weight

Facial features: Eyes, nose, lips, chin, cheek, teeth, Iris – color and pattern

Anatomical features Primary shape of body Secondary – sexual characters Changes associated with degeneration – arcus-senalis,

cataract, osteoarthritic changes – Teeth – eruption / morphology / wear and tear

The natural height of a human in an upright position

stature = 12.67 + 2.09 x (femur length

+ sum of lumbar vertebrae) • stature = 48.63 + 2.32 x (tibia length + sum of lumbar vertebrae Adjustments to Stature • Stature lost with increasing age • Bone shrinkage • Reported vs. Measured stature • Age of individual

Personal Identity / Stature

Estimation of stature (length /height)

Entire skeleton length +1½for soft tissues

Tip middle finger to tip middle finger

Length of arm x 2 + 13½ (Clavicle + Sternum)

Personal Identity / Stature

Stature from long boneLength of bone x Multiplication Factor

Bone M.FHumerus 5.0Radius 6.3Ulna 6.0Femur 3.6Tibia 4.2Fibula 4.4

Personal Identity

Objective methods

Morphological data – height – weight –

peculiarities

Belongings

Non biological – clothes and stains , Watch, glasses,

cell phone, visiting cards etc.

Biological – hair, nails, bones [resist putrefaction]

Stains – blood / semen / saliva.

Personal Identity

ANTHROPOMETRY

Anthropometry – Bertillon – after age 21 the

individual ceases to grow in size – measurement

of various parts of body remain unchanged – 14

measurements are to be taken:

Length and Breadth of Head, Length of Fingers, Size of

Feet and Toes Etc – Similarity Chances 1:286 – Tedious

Process – Replaced By:

Personal Identity

Dactylography – Finger printing – Galton System

Ridges on finger tips make patterns peculiar to

each individual – Purkinje, Henry Faulds, Frances

Galton, Edward Henry – Chances of similarity

1:64000 million

Contd.

Fire Arms Ballistics

What comes out of the muzzle?

Flame – burning / singeing of hair – few inches (the gases

heated up to 5200oF)

Projectile – entry wound (bullets are never “red hot” – 69oC –

110oC)

Cone of compressed gases – tearing of skin & tissues

Soot – blackening in & around the wound

Powder grains – deposition in & around the wound – tattooing

Wad – In case of shot gun

Fire Arms Injuries

Firearm Wound Complex

Wounding elements

Flame, projectile, hot gases, wad

Non wounding elements

Soot, powder grains and grease TANDEM BULLETS When the first bullet fails to leave the barrel, and is

ejected by the subsequently fired bullets; the bullets are ejected one before the other and

are known as tandem bullets.

Fire Arms Injuries

Firearm Wound Complex has four parts

1. Entry wound

2. Track of the wound –also grazing & gutter

wounds

3. Place of resting of projectile

4. Exit wound

Fire Arms Injuries

Entry Wound Complex – Depends upon:

Type of bullet – low / high velocity

Angle of fire – direction of fire – circular / oval

Tail wag effects – distance

Explosive effects – Distance of the muzzle from

the target

Fire Arms Injuries

Entry Wound (Rifled Weapons)

may be:

Firm contact wound

Loose contact wound

Short range

Medium range

Long range

Fire Arms Injuries

Fire Arms Injuries

Firm Contact

In bony areas: Muzzle imprint

Explosive appearance of wound – stellate (Arranged

in a radiating pattern like that of a star.)appearance

– due to discharge of compressed gases

Searing of wound margins

Soot, gases (red cherry appearance), powder grains

inside the wound – may be deposited on the

underlying bone

Fire Arms Injuries

Firm contact on the non bony areas:

Muzzle imprint – may not be obvious

Entry wound circular / oval equal to

diameter of the muzzle

Searing of edges of wound

Soot and powder grains inside the wound

Fire Arms Injuries

Loose Contact

Entry wound with searing

Soot deposited around the wound – light zone

near the wound and dense deposition at the

periphery of the light zone (corona)

Hair burned (singeing) – blown away by gases

Fire Arms Injuries

Short Range – 3 to 6 inches

Wound – round / oval

Soot deposition and powder grains

around the wound – Removed by wiping

Singeing / clubbing of hair

Fire Arms Injuries

Medium Range – 12 to 18 inches

Wound

Tattooing (powder tattooing) – driving in of

powder grains into the skin – reddish brown –

orange red punctate lesions surrounding the

entry wound

Cannot be cleaned with wiping

Fire Arms Injuries

Long Range

Wound – round / oval, inverted margins

Collar of abrasion round / oval – due to

spinning of the bullet

Fire Arms Injuries

Track of the wound – Direction

From entry wound to place of resting of bullet

or exit

Grazing wound

Gutter wounds

Fire Arms Injuries

Exit Wound

Great variations in appearance

Larger diameter than entry wound with averted margins

Shored exit – skin supported-abrasion collar may be seen

Pellets / shots rarely make exit

Mechanical Injuries / Bruise

Age of Bruise

Color changes – due to changes in released Haemoglobin

1. Red-fresh

2. Bluish – bluish purple / bluish black – deoxygenated (few hrs to 48 hrs) Brownish Haemosiderin 4 – 5 days Greenish Haemotidin 5 – 7 days Yellowish Bilirubin 7 – 10 days Normal color 10 – 15 days

Shotgun Injuries

Shotgun use cartridges having cylindrical body and

metallic base – having anvil

The cartridge holds primer – paper wad – propellant

mass – piston wad / mono wad – shots – terminal

wad

Shots may be contained in a plastic cup / mono wad

Obturation achieved by wad

Dispersion of shots depends on the type of wad,

size of pellets & choking

Shotgun Injuries

Types of Wads:

Plastic hard disc

Hard board

Paper wad

Piston wad – felt or mono wad cup of plastic

holding shots – petals of wad crumpled down

to hold shots – petals open & leaves strike

the skin producing patterned abrasions

Shotgun Injuries

Wounding elements of shotgun are: Flame – searing / burning Shots – defect – cutting effect Wad – abrasion / laceration

Non wounding elements include: Smoke / soot Powder grains

Shotgun Injuries

Firm Contact On bony areas

Large explosive wound of entry – wad inside Searing of wound edges Soot inside the wound Bursting fractures of skull as exit wound

On soft tissues Entry wound of the size of muzzle – wad inside

Searing of wound edges Soot inside the wound

Shotgun Injuries

Loose contact Entry wound – wad inside Soot deposition around the wound

Short Range Single wound Wad inside / abrasion – laceration near the

wound Powder grains

Shotgun Injuries

Medium Range – Up to 3 feet

Single wound

Piston wad inside the wound

Tattooing

Shotgun Injuries Long Range – Dispersion – pallets number / mono

wad 3 feet

Single wound-wad inside Tattooing

6 feet Large wound with one or two satellite pallet

wounds Wad injury may be present

9 feet Spread of pallets with a central hole

12 feet Pallets making separate injuries

Beyond 12 feet Spread of pallets Range – spread of pallets in inches = distance in

meters (depending on chocking)

Shotgun Injuries

Shaheen Pak Cartridges:

Velocity of shots – 30 m /sec

Spread of shots – 70 cm diameter at 35

meters

Shotgun Injuries

Exit Wound

Pallets rarely exit – may be lying under the

skin

Billiard ball effect The pallets arranged in groups come out in the

same group pattern

The 1st group of pallets hitting the target –

retarded by loss of velocity – hit on the back by

the 2nd group of pallets & consequently hit by

the 3rd group

Shotgun Injuries

The 1st pallets round on one side and flattened on

the opposite side

The 2nd round of pallets flattened on both sides

The 3rd row flattened on front side and round on the

back

Firearm Injuries

Medicolegal Importance of Firearm

Injuries

Weapon – rifled / smooth bore – low

velocity / high velocity – recovery of

projectile / wad

Range / distance – wound complex –

never commit on accurate range

Firearm Injuries

Angle of fire / Direction

Shape of wound

Track – dissection / X-Rays

Join entry & exit (mind ricocheting)

Firearm Injuries

Nature of injuries

Suicidal

Scene (locus) / selective sites / contact / direction

/ number / soot soiling – hand / weapon available

Homicidal

Vulnerable / any site / any range / direction /

varying number / weapon absent (present ?)

Firearm Injuries

Accidental

Front of body / usually medium range / directed

from below upwards / weapon available

Self inflicted / Fabricated

Selective / easily accessible – non vulnerable

site / range contact – short / direction right to left

above downwards / cloth defect not

corresponding

Firearm Injuries

Cause of Death

W H O certification of cause of death

Cause directly leading to death

Antecedent causes

Contributing causes

Firearm Injuries / Documentation

Number of Wounds

Exact number of wounds with

characteristics

Shape / margins / searing

Odd and even rule

One bullet producing multiple entries /

exits

Firearm Injuries / Documentation

Recovery of Projectile

From lodging site – soft / rubber clad forceps

X-Ray may be used for detection of bullet

Recovery of wad in shotgun injuries &

Representative samples of pallets / shots