Iranian Journal of Forensic Medicine
Year:2004 | Volume:9 | Issue:32|Papers Count:9

In this study 176 putrefied and skeletonized unknown corpses have been studied in anterospective in the second half of 2000 in Tehran forensic medicine center.In this study 165 male corpses and 11 female corpses were examined. Most of cases were between 21 and 30 years old (31.8%) the mean age of male corpses was 36.7 and for females was 37.8 years.in this study 41 corpses (23.3%) were identified, and the most common way of identification was tattoo in 37.1% of cases and the least common way 37.1 of identification was dental formula in 5.45%. of coses in 83 corpses (47.2%) the cause of death was addiction and its side effects in this group only 9 corpses were identified. the second cause of death was internal disease. (18.2%) specially hpecially hepatic and pulmonary involvement.The cause of death in 57.1% of cases with a two weed interval between death and examination was not identified.

Background: There are some codes in judicial system of all countries according to them the punishment is reprieved or absolute due to disease, weakness or disability of convict. According to eminent Islamic codes in our country, some punishments such as flog or jail exert when are not life threatening.Methods: In a prospective cross- sectional study 387 referred cases for judgment about punish ability were studied in Tehran during 1382. Separate questioners filled for each case according to personal information, type of claimed disease, results of clinical and laboratory evaluations and final pronouncement of legal medicine organization.Results: Near 80% of all cases were male. Mean age was around 43 years. 58.4% convinced to prison, 39.5% to flog and 2.1% to both punishments. The majority of females committed depravity related guilt’s and most males committed commercial or substance abuse related guilt’s. According to and final pronouncement of legal medicine organization, 54.3% of all cases were not able to endure the determined punishments. Cardiovascular and renal diseases are the leading causes resulting to pronouncement of punishment intolerance.Conclusion: More than half of convict's claims regarding punishment intolerance were correct and we recommend that forensic physicians view to this problem more accurately and use the findings of this study in their future pronouncements.

Background: Adulterants can reinforce toxic effects of opioids. Lead is an important impurity of opium which induces adverse effects in opium abusers. The purpose of present study was determination of lead impurity in opium by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry.Methods: After wet digestion of opium samples by nitric acid, standard solutions of lead were prepared and calibration curve was plotted. Then concentration of lead contents in opium samples was measured. Finally interday and intraday precision, limit of detection and limit of quantitation were evaluated.Results: This method is suitable for analysis of lead impurity of opium in 5-40ppm concentration range. The interday and intraday precision in this method was 0.8 and 1.2%, respectively. Limit of detection and limit of quantitation in this method was 2 ppm and 5 ppm, respectively.Conclusion: Flame atomic absorption spectrophotometery is a suitable method for determination of lead impurity in opium.

Background: After completion of tooth growth, the age estimation is very difficult & the usual method is to evaluate the change in tooth structure. The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of Lamendin technique for age estimation in Iranian people.Methods: 50 single rooted teeth collected from bead bodies of known age & sex in L M O, Tehran. Immediately after atraumatic extraction, the height of Periodontosis [P], Transparency of the root [T] and the P&T indices described by Lamendin were measured. Then the data were evaluated for estimating age by means of the formula described by Lamendin.Results: The mean actual & estimated ages had highly significant difference. By dividing the ages of the examined samples in different groups, it was noted that the mean differences were not significant in age groups 30-40 & 40-50 and hence the formula had some validity in those age groups.Conclusion: As the Lamendin technique is simple & first, the study must be done with larger sample in both sexes, so that a new formula may be obtained for Iranian people.

Background: Formaldehyde is a chemical, which is used traditionally for fixing the cadaver. It is vaporized during dissection and practical studying on cadaver. Studies show that this vapour can cause clinical symptoms such as throat, eye, skin and nasal irritation and tears.This study was designed to determine the histopathological changes of rat's tracheal mucous membrane that were exposed to formaldehyde for 18 weeks.Methods: The study was performed on 28, 6-7 weeks postnatal albino Wister rats. The rats were divided into 3 case groups (E1: 4h/d, 4d/w; E2: 2h/d, 4d/w; E3: 2h/d, 2d/w) and 1 control group. The tracheal specimens were sectioned and stained with H&E technique for histopathological study.Results: An epithelial disorganization, cilia disappearance, slight displastic changes and slight subepithelial lymphocytic infiltration were observed in the case of E1. Epithelial disorganization, irregular cilia and slight subepithelial infiltration were seen in E2 and E3 groups.Conclusion: The results of this study show that "the more exposure to formaldelhyde vapour, the more intense epithelial changes".

Background: To evaluate the referred cases of intertional abortion in terms of techniques, complications and consequences.Methods: Those who had referred to Taleghani Hospital because of abortion were interviewed, after getting their consent, and a questionnaire was completed, which contained, in oddition to obstetric history and family planning record, some information about methods. Complications and consequences of intentional abortion.Results: The results of this study show that 78% of these women used prostaglandin injection and 22% used curettage in their attempts to abort. Prostaglandins have more systemic complications which curettage results in more local (uterine) complications. The outcome of these attempts was 41.3% incomplete abortion, 40% comlete abortion and 18.7% ongoing pregnancy.Conclusion: Although in most cases prostaglandin injection is used in attempted abortions, it has resulted in complete abortion in less than half of all cases.

Air rifle is more a potentially dangerous and even lethal weapon than a toy. Air rifle is categorized as a low velocity gun. Air gun pellet can cause serious injuries especially in the eye and brain. Air rifle injuries are predominantly a result of accidental shooting and commonly involve male teenagers. One third of all injuries related to air rifle involve head and neck. Stricter legislation on ownership and use of air weapons and promotion awareness of their hazards public education can prevent these injuries. Among the complications of air rifle injuries, pellet embolization is a rare phenomenon.This paper reports a very rare case of accidental shooting 0.177 inch air rifle of into a teenage boy's neck. Radiological findings confirm embolization of the pellet to the right ventricle following jugular vein penetration.

The history of medicine began with the first feeling of pain in human beings, which then resulted in making use of superstitious beliefs as a way to decrease pain, and paved the ground for misuse and abuse of evil from medicine. In order to prevent these abuses some rules were gradually made which was the basis of legal medicine. In ancient Iran the first physician, who was also a coroner, was named Therita. Mohammad ibon Ziaol Qureshi was probably the first coroner in the history of Iranian and Islamic medicine. Dissection, which is the basis of legal medicine, had a long history among Iranian physicians. Johanna ibn Masooyeh, was a knowledgeable chiristian Iranian physician, who dissected a monkey for the first time. In recent centuries, legal medicine was recognized as a new discipline after dissection of an Austrian engineer named Zati, by Dr. Polack, who was later employed as a teacher/Instructor in Darolfonun.