Notes on Wound Analysis and Forensic Interpretation
Wound Characteristics and Forensic Interpretation
Influence of Langer's Lines on Wounds
- Langer's lines are natural lines of tension in the skin.
- Wounds inflicted across Langer's lines:
- Tend to gape open significantly.
- Wounds inflicted parallel to Langer's lines:
- Tend to remain closed and relatively undistorted.
- This phenomenon is often referred to as the "zipper-locked" or "bag effect."
Surgical vs. Street-Inflicted Wounds
- Surgeons are familiar with these lines of tension and purposefully make their incisions parallel to them to minimize gaping and aid healing.
- Street scene injuries (e.g., stabbings, cuts) are typically inflicted without regard for Langer's lines.
- Consequently, these injuries are often significantly distorted.
- The distortion results from the combined effects of skin tension and body movement.
Interpreting Wound Appearance
- It is crucial to consider how an injury originally looked before skin tension and body movement caused a change in its shape.
- Beveling or shelving of wound margins can provide important clues regarding the internal direction of a wound track.
Proper Handling and Documentation of Wounds
- Wound probing should never be done indiscriminately.
- Placement of medical devices (e.g., chest tubes):
- If a chest tube or any other device is placed through a fortuitously located injury, this must be clearly indicated in the treatment or operative report.
- Failure to document such interventions can lead to misinterpretation by a pathologist if the victim dies, complicating the identification and analysis of assailant-inflicted wounds (as illustrated in Figs. 25-7, 25-8, 25-9, and 25-10).
- However, it is preferable to never insert a chest tube into a bullet wound or stab wound.
## Discrepancy in Wound Track Depth
- Autopsy or surgical exploration frequently reveals a wound track that extends inward for a distance greater than the actual length of the weapon used.
- Fig. 25-9 is mentioned as an illustration suggesting this phenomenon.