CDI 2

LEGAL MEDICINE OR FORENSIC MEDICINE

is the application of medical and scientific knowledge to legal issues and the administration of justice. It bridges clinical practice and the law, aiding courts in determining facts regarding injuries, malpractice, paternity, and cause of death.

Forensic Pathology

Investigates the causes of sudden, unexpected, or violent deaths through autopsies.

Clinical Forensic Medicine

Examines living victims and suspects involved in physical trauma, domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual crimes.

Forensic Toxicology

Analyzes bodily fluids and tissues for the presence of drugs, alcohol, and poisons.

Forensic Anthropology and Odontology

Identifies human remains using bone analysis and dental records.

Forensic Haemogenetics

Focuses on DNA analysis and molecular biology to aid in criminal investigations and paternity disputes.

Medical Jurisprudence

The branch of law that dictates the duties, rights, and obligations of physicians, addressing topics like medical negligence and patient consent.

Special Crime Investigation

deals with the study of major crimes based on the application of special investigative technique.

PHASE 1 - PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION

It is an action taken by the first responder who arrive the crime scene after detection or report of said crime. It serves as foundation for the case.

PHASE 2 - IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATION

It is the re-examination of all leads secured during preliminary investigation, also known as Follow-up investigation

PHASE 3 - FINAL INVESTIGATION

It is the final phase of investigation.

Crime Scene

is the place where the essential ingredients of the criminal act took place. It includes the setting of the crime and also the adjoining places of entry and exit both offender and victim.

Outdoor Crime Scene

is the most vulnerable to loss, contamination and damaging effects on biological evidence in a short period of time.

Indoor Crime Scene

compared to an outdoor scene evidence at an indoor scene is generally less susceptible to environmental loss and deleterious change.

Conveyance Crime Scene

conveyance means of transportation.

primary crime scene

is a type of crime scene where a crime actually occurred.

secondary crime scene

is in some way related to the crime but is not where the actual crime took place.

Physical Evidence

Articles and materials which are found in connection with an investigation and which aid in establishing the identity of the perpetrator or the circumstances under which the crime was committed or which in general, assists in the prosecution of the criminal.

Corpus Delicti

objects or substances which are an essential part of the body of the crime.

Associative Evidence

evidence which links the suspects to the crime scene or offense. Fingerprints or shoe impressions are good examples.

Tracing Evidence

articles which assists the investigator in locating the suspect.

Markings of Evidence

Any physical evidence obtained must be marked or tagged before its submission to the evidence custodian. These are information to ensure that the items can be identified by the collector at any time in the future.

CRIME SCENE SKETCH

It is a permanent record that provides supplemental information that is not easily accomplished with the exclusive use of crime scene photographs and notes.

Recognition

to know what crime has occurred and the possible people involved.

Collection

the gathering of evidence in the crime scene.

Preservation

proper labeling and security of the evidence lifted from the crime scene.

Evaluation

must to get held of the relevant evidence that traces the perpetrator.

Presentation

this is to support the guilt of the perpetrator especially during court appearance.

Markings of Evidence

Any physical evidence obtained must be marked or tagged before its submission to the evidence custodian. These are information to ensure that the items can be identified by the collector at any time in the future.

Rough Sketch

Made at the crime scene, no scale, proportion ignored and everything is approximate

Finished Sketch

For courtroom presentation, scale and proportion are strictly observed

Sketch of Locality

Gives a picture of the crime scene in relation to its environment including neighboring buildings, roads, etc.

Sketch of Grounds

Includes the crime scene and its nearest environment, ex a house w/ a garden.

Sketch of Details

Describes the immediate crime scene only.

Crime Scene Reconstruction

is the process of determining or eliminating the events and actions that occurred at the crime scene through analysis of the crime scene pattern, the location and position of the physical evidence, and the laboratory examination of the physical evidence.

Physical Reconstruction

the physical appearance of the crime scene is reconstructed from the description of witnesses and indication of the physical evidence. There is actual re-performance of the crime committed.

Mental Reconstruction

after physical reconstruction, conclusions can be made concerning the consistency of the accounts of various witnesses. No assumption should be made

Crime reenactment

is a practice where criminal suspects are ordered, as part of the police investigation process, to describe or act out the steps of the crime of which they are accused.

THE PNP - Scene of the Crime Operatives

is the specialized forensic division responsible for processing crime scenes. They are mandated to systematically preserve scenes, collect physical evidence, and document findings using scientific methods to aid in criminal investigations and the pursuit of justice.

Mortal Wound

is capable of causing death.

Blunt Force Wounds

When a person is struck with blunt object, such as pipe, club, or fist, the severity of the injury can range from mild to severe.

Abrasion

is an injury characterized by removal of the specific epithelial layer of the skin brought about by friction against a hard rough surface.

Contusion

an injury found in the subcutaneous of the skin discoloration of the surface due to extravasations of blood caused by the application of a blunt instrument.

Laceration

is the tearing of the skin due to forcible contact with a blunt instrument that causes a small opening of the skin or also referred to as cutaneous laceration.

Coup

signifies that the injuries are located beneath the impact (usually caused by blow).

Contrecoup

the injuries are on the opposite side from where the blow was initiated.

Incised Wounds

produced by sharp-edged instrument like bolo, broken glass, knife, etc.

Stab Wounds

It is a wound produced by a sharp edged and pointed instrument in the penetration of the wounding instrument; it is the pointed which is first to come in contact with the body than sharp edged portion.

Punctured Wounds

is a deep wound caused by a pointed instrument like a nail. The opening on the skin is small, and the wound may not bleed much. can easily become infected.

Perforating Wounds

a wound with an entrance and exit opening.

Bite

is a wound received from the teeth of an animal, including humans.

Ecchymosis

Extravasation of blood underneath the skin caused by sucking action that results to discoloration

burn

is an injury to the skin or other organic tissue primarily caused by heat or due to radiation, radioactivity, electricity, friction or contact with chemicals.

First-degree burns

This burn affect only the epidermis, or outer layer of skin. The burn site is red, painful, dry, and with no blisters. Mild sunburn is an example. Long-term tissue damage is rare and usually involves an increase or decrease in the skin color.

Second-degree burns

This burn involve the epidermis and part of the dermis layer of skin. The burn site appears red, blistered, and may be swollen and painful.

Third-degree burns

This burn destroy the epidermis and dermis. may also damage the underlying bones, muscles, and tendons.

fourth-degree burns

The burn site appears white or charred. There is no feeling in the area since the nerve endings are destroyed.

Poison

is a substance, natural or synthetic, that causes damage to living tissues and has an injurious or fatal effect on the body, whether it is ingested, inhaled, or absorbed or injected through the skin.

Poisoning

when a toxic substance (poison) makes you sick or harms you. Poisons can come from plants, animals, household cleaners and chemicals, medications, carbon monoxide and more.

General View or Long-range

General view or long-range photographs of the overall scene fundamentally are taken to portray the areas as if a person viewing the scene is seeing it from the standing position.

Medium View or Mid-range

are taken in a manner which portrays the scene from approximately ten to twenty feet of distance from the subject matter.

Close-up View

are normally taken approximately five feet or less from the subject matter.

Drowning

defined as a process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in a liquid medium.

MORBIDITY

refers to surviving a submersion event but experiencing lasting health issues (such as neurological damage or chronic breathing problems)

NO MORBIDITY

means the person survived with no long-lasting physical or mental impairments

Wet Drowning

This is the most common form of drowning, where water enters the lungs and impairs the person’s ability to breathe. typically occurs when a person is submerged in water and cannot reach the surface for air.

Dry Drowning

the person’s airway closes up due to a spasm, preventing water from entering the lungs. However, the lack of oxygen still leads to unconsciousness and eventual death. Dry drowning can occur even after a person has been rescued from the water, as the airway can close up several hours after the initial incident.

Secondary Drowning

This type of drowning occurs when a small amount of water enters the lungs, causing inflammation and the buildup of fluid. Over time, this fluid buildup can impair the person’s ability to breathe and lead to drowning. Secondary drowning can happen hours or even days after the initial water exposure.

Silent Drowning

refers to cases where a person drowns without exhibiting the typical signs of struggle or distress. In many instances, the victim may appear to be swimming normally before slipping beneath the water’s surface.