ABMDI Exam Definitions ch. 1-4

Anencephalic

an infant born without a brain.

Bereavemenrt

sorrow following the death of a loved one.

Brain death

final cessation of activity in the central nervous system, as indicated by a flat electroencephalogram (EEG) or absence of cerebral blood flow for a predetermined period of time.

Cardiac death

final cessation of activity in the cardiovascular system involving the heart and blood vessels.

Cessation

the final stoppage of action.

Coroner

typically an elected official who decides whether a death occurred under circumstances that require an autopsy, either by law or to determine manner or cause. Can determine the scope of an autopsy and who will perform it if they aren’t qualified to.

what states require without exception that the coroner must be a medical doctor?

Kansas, Louisiana, North Dakota, and Ohio

Jurisdiction

the power or authority a court or office has over individuals or trauma.

Legal next-of-kin

the person from whom the medicolegal death investigator must secure consent before initiating any procurement activity. also known as the hierarchical succession of survivors established by law.

Medical examiner

usually a medical doctor, although not necessarily a highly trained pathologist. Decides whether a death occurred under circumstances that may require an autopsy and who will perform it if they are not qualified. Usually appointed to the position and may have jurisdiction for a county, district, or state.OP

OPO (organ procurement organization)

the agency responsible for identifying potential donors, obtaining consent, and procuring organs.

Postmortem changes

alternations of the body following death, including decomposition and environmental resuscitative injuries.

Statutes

laws enacted by the legislative branch of government.

Verify

establish or confirm the accuracy of information or evidence through testimony.

Vital statistics

a governmental agency responsible for maintaining a system of registration and release of records for the public, including birth, marriage, divorce, and death.

Antemortem blood sample

an initial blood sample that usually is obtained when the subject arrives at the hospital emergency room, before additional diagnostic or therapeutic treatment is initiated.

Authorization

official permission granted by a superior.

Common-law marriage

a marriage that is recognized because the couple have been cohabiting for a determined length of time, yet a legal marriage ceremony has not been performed.

Confidential

revealed in confidence (trust, assurance), to be kept secret.

Cremation

the reduction of a dead human body to inorganic bone fragments by intense heat in a specially designed chamber.

Demographic information

personal identifying and specific information regarding an individual’s age, social security number, gender, address, and so on.

Disinterment

the opening of a grave and removal of the body for the purpose of reexamination or removal to another site.

Embalmer

an individual licensed by the state to disinfect, preserve, and cosmetically restore dead human bodies.

Euphemism

a mild or inoffensive term or phrase that is substituted for another, more explicit term.

Funeral director

an individual or corporation licensed by a state to prepare dead human remains, other than by embalming, for interment or other means of disposal. the person also conducts funeral services and counsels decedents’ families.

Guardianship or power of attorney

legal authorization to act on another individual’s behalf. this authority usually ceases after death, so be sure to check the law in your state.In

Interrogation

the formal act of examining a person by asking questions, usually a law enforcement function.

Interview

a formal face-to-face conservation between a reporter (the medicolegal death investigator) and a person from whom information is sought (the witness).

Media

any news-reporting agency (e.g., newspaper, magazine, radio, television) and its representatives.

Objective report

a report made in an independent and unbiased manner, without regard for personal attitudes or thoughts.

Pathologist

a physician trained in the identification and diagnosis of disease and injury who may perform autopsies.

Pedigree

the list of ancestors on a person’s family tree.

The public

any person or agency not officially affiliated with or recognized as a member of your office.

Religious objection

a family’s objection to the performance of an autopsy based on their religious/spiritual beliefs.

Retort

a vessel or chamber in which substances are decomposed by heat.

Self-inflicted

the infliction of injury or death on oneself.

Statutory

authorized by law.

Autoeroticism

sexual activity in which an individual indulges in private, usually involving some form of asphyxia to heighten sexual pleasure.

Confidential (private) information

information that is protected by law and can be released only to certain authorized parties or that requires a court order for its release.

Hold-harmless agreement

a signed agreement or contract in which the signing parties agree not to file action for any injuries against the receiving party that might arise out of the contract or agreement.

Public information

information the public has a legal right to know and that cannot be withheld.

Survivors

those persons (family/friends) who remain alive after the death of someone else (family member or friend).

Ambient

a condition that completely surrounds or encompasses something.

Anomaly

a marked deviation from normal; for example, congenital defects.

Chain of custody

the documentation of sequential possession and location of evidence.

Coordinate method of measurement

measurement of evidence from a fixed point along a baseline.

Critical incident stress debriefing (CISD)

a process by which emergency personnel are offered the support necessary to reduce job-related stress.

Demographic information

data specific to a given individual, such as identification, next-of-kin, and address; typically provided in table format.

Dental records

written charts and radiographs of an individual’s teeth.

Dependent

the supporting surface of the body.

Diagram

an illustrative outline of a tract of land, or something else that can be projected in a linear fashion, which is not necessarily intended to be perfectly accurate.

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

the genetic material passed through from the cells of one generation to another.

Electrolytes

components of a solution containing dissolved acids, bases, or salts forming constituents of tissue fluid, plasma, and cellular fluid (e.g., sodium, potassium bicarbonate, and chloride).

Exploding view or cross-projection drawing type

similar to the floor-plan type, with folded-out walls; helpful in documenting bullets or blood stains on walls.

F-stop (aperture)

the light-gathering ability of the lens.

Film speed

ASA/ISO/DIN indicates the speed of the film. the higher the number, the less available light is required to take a picture.

what film speed is good for bright days?

100 or 200

what film speed is good for overcast conditions?

400

Floor-plan-view drawing type

overhead view of the scene, detailing evidence in relation to the surroundings.

HAZ/MAT (Hazardous Materials Unit)

the agency charged with the responsibility for planning preparedness and response actions related to spills or discharges of oil and hazardous materials into the environment.

Incident command system

a standardized system of managing assigned resources for effective and efficient control of any emergency event.

Livor mortis (lividity)

postmortem settling of the blood into the dependent portions of the body.

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

descriptive data provided by the manufacturers and distributors of hazardous materials.

Multiple-fatality incident

any multiple-fatality event that exceeds the normal capabilities and preparedness of an agency, requiring additional resources, manpower, and response from that agency.

Narrative report

an objective report of the investigative process, written in chronological fashion.

NCIC (National Crime Information Center)

unidentified-person files that allow data on these persons to be compared via computer. also allows data to be entered onto a computer based system that contains information regarding reported missing persons.

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

part of the U.S. Department of Labor; the regulatory and enforcement agency for safety and health in most U.S. industrial sites.

Panning

recording a video of a scene, starting at point A and slowly moving the camera across the scene to point B.

Peripheral blood

blood recovered from arteries and veins in the extremities or head regions.

Poison control center

provides medical information on a 24-hour basis for investigation of incidents involving potentially poisonous materials.

Prone

lying face downward.

Reconstruct

to build again, to rebuild.

Rigor mortis (Rigidity)

postmortem stiffening of the body.

Radiation safety officer (RSO)

designated individual who is trained and certified to handle radiation hazards.

Scene perimeter

the boundary around a death scene.

Sclera

the so-called white of the eye, consisting of a tough, fibrous tissue.

Search and rescue

volunteers trained in scene searching, processing, and rescue.

Single-lens reflex (SLR) camera

the type of camera that has interchangeable lenses.

Subclavian vein

the large vein draining the arm, which unites with the internal jugular vein.

Supine

lying on the back, face upward.

Three-dimensional drawing type

used to corroborate a picture.

Trace evidence

potentially hidden objects that can show a connection among the scene, the crime, and the perpetrator.

Transference of evidence

the movement of physical evidence from one surface to another.

Trauma resolution

a progression of traumatic stress management that consists of education and monitoring of physical and mental capabilities following people’s response to multiple-fatality events.

Triangulation method of measurement

measurement of evidence in relation and reference to two or more fixed points; useful for outside scenes.

Universal precautions

recommendations that must be followed if contact with blood or bodily fluids is likely.

Ventricular fibrillation

abnormal heart rate, which typically results in death.

Zooming

using a multifocal-length lens (a lens that can be used for wide-angle pictures and changed to telephoto merely by twisting the lens barrel) to photograph a scene.