Legal Medicine (Part 2)

Flat EEG

Of great confirmatory value in the determination of brain death

True

True or False: The use of the criteria of brain death may only be applied to those persons who are potential organ donors

Somatic or Clinical Death

Complete, persistent, and continuous cessation of the vital functions of the brain, heart and lungs which maintain life and health

3-6 hours

Molecular or Cellular Death occurs __ after somatic or clinical death

Apparent Death or State of Suspended Animation

Not really death but merely a transient loss of consciousness or temporary cessation of the vital functions of the body on account of disease, external stimulus or other forms of influence

Magnus Test

Test wherein a ligature is applied around the base of a finger with moderate tightness. Bloodless zone appears in living persons.

Icards' Test

Test wherein fluorescein is subcutaneously injected and with circulation present, will spread a greenish-yellow discoloration of the whole skin

2 hours

Post-mortem caloricity occurs in the first ___ hours of death

Delayed

Delayed or Accelerated Cooling: Acute Pyrexial Disease

Delayed

Delayed or Accelerated Cooling: sudden death in good health

Delayed

Delayed or Accelerated Cooling: obesity

Delayed

Delayed or Accelerated Cooling: death from asphyxia

Accelerated

Delayed or Accelerated Cooling: long-standing or lingering illness

Delayed

Delayed or Accelerated Cooling: warm surroundings

Accelerated

Delayed or Accelerated Cooling: large room

12-15 hours

As a general rule, the body attains the temperature of the surrounding air from __ hours after death in tropical countries

1. Stage of Primary Flaccidity or period of muscular irritability
2. Stage of post-mortem rigidity (cadaveric rigidity or death struggle of muscles or rigor mortis)

Stages of muscle changes following death

24-48 hours cold
18-36 summer weather

In tropical countries rigor mortis usually lasts for

Elderly and newborns

Populations where rigor mortis has an earlier onset

75C

If the body is exposed to temperatures above __C, it will coagulate the muscle proteins and cause the muscles to be rigid

Pugilistic attitude

In heat stiffening, the body assumes this posture

Cadaveric spasm or instantaneous death

Instantaneous rigidity of the muscles that occurs at the moment of death due to extreme tension, exhaustion, or injury to the nervous system or injury to the chest

Rigor Mortis

Rigor Mortis or Cadaveric Spasm: all muscles of the body involved

Rigor Mortis

Rigor Mortis or Cadaveric Spasm: natural phenomenon

Rigor Mortis

Rigor Mortis or Cadaveric Spasm: used to approximate time of death

Rigor Mortis

Rigor Mortis or Cadaveric Spasm: losses muscle translucency and becomes opaque

Rigor Mortis

Rigor Mortis or Cadaveric Spasm: acidic litmus test

Cadaveric Spasm

Rigor Mortis or Cadaveric Spasm: certain group of muscles affected

Cadaveric Spasm

Rigor Mortis or Cadaveric Spasm: used to determine the nature of the crime

Ante

Ante or Post-mortem clot: firm consistency

Post

Ante or Post-mortem clot: soft consistency

Ante

Ante or Post-mortem clot: homogenous so it cannot be stripped into layers

Post

Ante or Post-mortem clot: stripped off in layers

True

True or False: The color of the lividity may indicate the cause of death

Dark

Color of lividity in asphyxia

Bright pink

Color of lividity in carbon monoxide poisoning

Less dark

Color of lividity in hemorrhage, anemia

Bright red

Color of lividity in hydrocyanic acid poisoning

Dark brown

Color of lividity in phosphorus poisoning

Chocolate or coffee brown

Color of lividity in potassium chlorate or potassium dichromate poisoning

Bright red

Color of lividity in snow or ice

Putrefaction

Breaking down of the complex proteins into simpler components associated with the evolution of foul smelling gases and accompanied by the change of color of the body

Marbolization

Prominence of the superficial veins with reddish discoloration during the process of decomposition, which develops on both flanks of the abdomen, root of the neck and shoulder

Face and neck or sternum
Shoulders
Arms
Abdomen
Legs

Order of putrefaction when the body is in water

Sea

Sea or fresh water: easier to float in

Obese

Obese or skinny: floats sooner

Women

Women or men: float sooner

moderate

Moderate or excessive amount of moisture: accelerates decomposition

excessive

Moderate or excessive amount of moisture: prevents access of air to the body thereby delaying decomposition

70-100F

The optimum temperature for specific decomposition

Obese

Obese or skinny: decompose more rapidly

Running

Running or still water: more rapid decomposition occurs in

Mummification

Dehydration of the whole body which results in shivering and preservation of the body

Saponification or Adipocere formation

Condition wherein the fatty tissues of the body are transformed to soft brownish-white substance known as adipocere

Maceration

Softening of the tissues when in a fluid medium in the absence of putrefactive microorganisms which is frequently observed in the death of the fetus in utero

24 hours

The presence of maggots may indicate that the death occurred more than __ hours already

3-6 hours

Post-mortem lividity develops __ hours after death

7 years;
10 years

After an absence of ___, an absentee shall be presumed dead except for the purpose of succession which is after __

4 years

Person on board lost vessels, participated in war and explorers, climbers, miners are presumed dead for all purposes after __ years of being missing or unheard of

Post-mortem examination

refers to external examination of a dead body without incision being made, although blood and other body fluids may be collected for examination

Next of kin

Owners of the body in hospital or non-official autopsy

State

Owner of the body in a medico-legal or official autopsy

District Health Officer
Local Health Officer
Medical Officers of Law Enforcement Agencies
Member of the medical staff of accredited hospitals

Persons authorized to perform autopsies and dissection

True

True or False: bodies which are severely mutilated, decomposing or damaged by fire are still suitable for autopsy

True

True or False: Accidental deaths and suicides should be autopsied

Immediate (Primary)

Cause of death that applies to cases when trauma or disease kill quickly. No sequelae or complications develop

Proximate (Secondary)

Cause of death wherein injury or disease was survived for a sufficiently prolonged interval

Mechanism of death

The physiologic derangement or biochemical disturbance incompatible with life and ultimately leading to death

False (cannot stand independently)

True or False: Cardiorespiratory arrest is a terminal mechanism of most of the deaths and can stand independently as a reasonable explanation for the fatality

Manner of Death

Explanation as to how the cause of death came into being or how the cause of death arose

Medicolegal masquerade

Violent deaths may be accompanied by minimal or no external evidence of injury or natural death where signs of violence may be present

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

Unexplained death of infants usually under 6 months of age, while in apparently good health

Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death (SUND)

Known as "bangungot" or "pok-kuri". This is the sudden death of healthy young men seen in East Asian Countries

Negligent Death

Death due to reckless imprudence, negligence, lack of skill or lack of foresight

Prison temporal

The person who gives assistance to the commission of suicide of another to the extent of doing the killing himself, shall suffer the penalty of

Parricide

Killing of one's relative

True

True or False: Killing of a common-law wife or one's illegitimate grandfather is not parricide

3 days old

Infanticide is killing of a child <___ old

Destierro

Any legally married person who caught his partner committing sexual intercourse, who shall kill any or both of them in the act or immediately thereafter, or shall inflict upon them serious physical injury, shall suffer the penalty of

Tardieu spots

minute petechial hemorrhages caused by the rupture of minute vessels as blood settles into the dependent areas of organs and tissues; it is accompanied by livor mortis. A postmortem, extravascular blood discoloration. Most common in asphyxial or slow deaths.

Death from coma

Death from this condition has the same findings as in asphyxia and in addition, there is congestion of the brain and spinal cord

Coma

State of unconsciousness with insensibility of the pupil and conjunctivae, and inability to swallow, resulting from arrest of the function of the brain

Electrocution

Only method of judicial death recognised by our civil law

Musketry

Method of Judicial death applied to the military personnel and decided by the court marshals

No

Is euthanasia allowed in the Philippines?

Active Euthanasia

Form of euthanasia in which there is intentional or deliberate application of the means to shorten the life of a person

Passive Euthanasia

Form of euthanasia in which there is absence of the application of means to accelerate death but the natural course of the disease is allowed to have its way to extinguish the life of a person

First degree

Psychological classification of Suicide: deliberate, planned, pre-meditated, self-murder

Second degree

Psychological classification of Suicide: Impulsive, unplanned, under great provocation or mitigating circumstances

Third degree

Psychological classification of Suicide: voluntary self injury but the intention to die was relatively low because method was relatively harmless or provisions for rescue were made

Third degree

Psychological classification of Suicide: also called accidental suicide

Embalming

Artificial way of preserving the body after death by injecting 6-8 quarts of antiseptic solutions

12 hours

A person who died with communicable diseases must be buried within __ unless the local health officer permits otherwise