final criminalistics exam

A forensic pathologist can determine

Manner of death (5 categories)

The broadest definition of forensic science

Application of science to law

The smaller the size of blood spatters

The higher the velocity of force produced them (ex: gunshots)

Newton's Law of Cooling states that

The rate of heat loss of a body is directly proportional to the difference of temperature of body and environment

Humans have a medullary index of

Less than 1/3

Rohypnol has physiological effects similar to

Valium (diazepam); date rape drug

Manners of death (5)

Suicide, homicide, accidental, undetermined, natural

Types of blunt force trauma

Contusions, abrasions, lacerations, bone fractures

Blunt force trauma

Injury caused by a nonsharpened object; most common type of trauma; lethal/nonlethal

Objects with a sharp or pointed edge can

Be used as a weapon to impair the skin

Mass disaster

Any incident greater than the resources of the region where it occurs

The most important bone to be recovered

Hyoid

A common loose contact gunshot wound would show

No powder around the wound; no muzzle imprint on skin

Muzzle imprint

Impression of the muzzle onto skin from hard contact

A typical shotgun wound characteristics

skin defect, rim abrasion, surrounding residues, discoloration

Blood

carries nutrients and oxygen to the body cells and metabolic waste away from cells

Distant gunshot wound

No powder tattooing; exit wound larger than entry wound

Typical exit wound

Any shape, no ring of abrasion, no surrounding residue, no skin defect

Low-velocity impact blood splatter

4+ millimeters in diameter; produced by gravity alone or minimal force; speed less than 5 ft/sec

Angle of impact

Angle of impact = opp side/hypotenuse (True)

Fingerprint template

The name of a file in a fingerprint database

Cross-section of a man-made fiber

Bi/double refraction; uniform and symmetrical

Chemical tests available to detect blood

Peroxidases

Sequence of events for processing the crime scene

Secure scene, record, search for evidence, collect and package, maintain chain of custody

Fibers found in the barrels of a gun

Can lead to pseudo tattooing/pseudo soot

In Allegheny county, natural cause of death is determined by

Police officer, medic, or physician

Algor mortis is effected by

Clothing, weight, age, temperature, humidity, and immersion in water or other organic substance

Post Mortem Interval

The time that has elapsed since a person has died

Rectal temperature

Most accurate way to take a body temperature

A pathologist can estimate time of death by looking at

How far the food in the stomach has moved (gives a range)

When estimating time of death

The longer the interval of time between death and the examination of the body, the wider the limits of probability

Blood in most corpses starts to become permanently incoagulable after

20-30 minutes of death (True)

Lividity (Livor mortis)

Color change due to settling of the blood by gravity; starts at 4 hours and ends 6-10 hours

Survival time

The period between the incident and death; the longer the survival time, the harder it is to determine time of death

The blanching of post mortem

White blood discoloration in early stages of lividity; at points of contact with hard objects will cause the skin to turn white

Blood weights than water.

More

Stab wound

Penetration of the body by a sharp or pointed instrument; wound is deeper than it is long

Clear yellowish mark is due to

Plasma in the blood

Pathologist can determine about a gunshot wound

enter/exit, not caliber; type of firearm, distance of gun to victim, track of projectile

Distance gunshot entrance would show

No powder stippling and usually exhibit a hole roughly the caliber of the projectile fired (False)

Baby's life count be in danger if

Mother is Rh- and baby is Rh+

Vitals to help estimate time of death

Temperature (algor mortis), decomposition, food digestion, stiffness (rigor mortis), settling of blood (liver mortis), circumstantial evidence, potassium

When considering time of death with algor mortis

Temperature raises 1-2 degrees during first hour; loses 1.5-2 degrees/hour after death until reaches ambient temperature

Type O blood can only be made when

Both parents give up an O gene (recessive to A and B)

Approximate chance that third child will be a boy

50/50

Bloodstains and scenes can show

Origin of stain, position of victim at time of blows, number, direction of deposit, manner of disposition, direction of travel after injury

when it comes to blood spatter, law enforcement agents rely on

Number of hits, weapon used, angle, body position, direction, serology

Drugs are natural or synthetic substances that

Alter emotional state, perception, body function, or behavior