Forensic medicine

Puppe's rule

→ to differentiate first shot fired from subsequent ones.

States that in case of fracture of skull due to gunshot wounds I first shot restricts the fracture produced by subsequent shots.

Kennedy phenomenon

Surgical interventions in a firearm entry wound leading to difficulty in interpreting injury

Unusual circumstances of firearm injuries

1) single entry wound with multiple exit wounds:

Single bullet fragments into multiple pices and comes out through multiple sites.

2)Single shot with multiple entry and exit wounds:

Single bullet passing through a folded knee that enters through front of thigh then exits

From the back and re enters from back of leg and exits through front.

Types of bullets

① Tandem /piggyback bullet - fails to eject the first time on firing second time both bullets enter

Through same entry wound; one after the other.

②Ricochet bullet - deflected I deviated bullet that hits an intermediary objected before the uninterrupted target ; entry wound is characterised by absence of abrasion collar due to loss Of gyroscopic movement

③ Dum Dum bullet - manufactured in dum dum West Bengal, Indiafragments on hitting the target to increase wounding capacity

④ Trace bullet- traces its path with smoke after ejecting used for training purpose.

⑤ Incendiary bullet - contains phosphorous which explodes or catches fire on impact with target

⑥ Frangible bullet- made of iron mushrooms or disintegrates on impact with target