TRAUMATIC+DEATH

**//__Traumatic Deaths__//** media type="custom" key="3017804"media type="custom" key="3022760"media type="custom" key="3013664" The traumatic death chapter is about different fun and exciting ways of dying traumatically. It explains cause and mechanism of death, manner of death, time of death, classification of traumatic deaths, mechanical trauma, blunt trauma, firearm injury, chemical trauma, thermal trauma, electrical trauma, and asphyxias.

Caliber- diameter of a circle tangent with the tops of the lands of the rifle Carbon monoxide- a highly toxic that is formed as a product of combustion Contact wounds-a skin injury produced by a weapon in contact with or a fraction of an inch from the skin where discharged Contusion- Bruise; leakage of blood from damaged blood vessels into tissues Depressant- Drug that reduces excitability and calms a person Distant wound-Firearm wound that lacks stippling, smoke, or soot Ethanol- Ethyl alcohol or beverage alcohol found in beer, wine, and liquors Explosion- Sudden conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy accompanied by physical destruction o f the container or structure via a high pressure wave front Exsanguination- major artery or heart damaged to produce death Handguns- a form of rifled weapons Hematoma- A tumor of blood caused by leakage from damaged blood vessels; it contains enough blood to form a blood filled space Heme- The non-protein portion of hemoglobin and a number of proteins in the body Intermediate range gunshot wounds- Firearm wound that shows stippling but no smoke Lacerations- produced by blunt objects Manner of death- the fashion in which the cause of death came to be Mechanism of death- a biochemical or physiological abnormality produced by the cause of death that is incompatible with life Rigor mortis- Stiffening of muscles that occurs following the death of a person Spatter- Dispersion of small blood droplets due to the forceful projection of blood Shored exit wounds- A bullet exit wound that has many characteristics of a distant exit wound Shotgun- form of smooth bored weapon Stippling- Disposition of fragments of powder into the skin as the result of a gunshot wound of relatively close range; also called powder tattooing Yawing-Deviation of a bullet from the longitude axis of its flight

Questions:

1)  Describe four causes of traumatic death.  2)   Which causes of traumatic death may be produced by asphyxia? 3)  Describe the four manners of death.  4)   How are gunshot wounds of entrance classified? 5)  Which drug of abuse is most often encountered in the practice of forensic pathology?  6)   What three features differentiate lacerations from cuts or incised wounds? 7)  Differentiate between a perforating and a penetrating gunshot wound.  8)   Describe the unicellular organisms that may prove helpful in diagnosing drowning. 9)  Describe the common finding in manual strangulation.  10)   Describe the common findings in ligature strangulation.

Answers: 1)Gunshot wounds, hanging, asphyxiation, being electrocuted. 2)Drowning, hanging. 3)Natural, accidental, homicidal, suicidal. 4) Yawing. 5) Alcohol. 6)Blunt objects produce lacerations and sharp objects produce incised wounds. 7)A perforating wound is “punched” through, penetrating is pierced and sharp. 8)Diatoms resist degradation by acids. 9)Manual strangulation constricts the airway by compressing the neck of a person. 10) Ligature strangulation is when someone is hung by a rope or wire; there is normally a furrow in the neck of a person.