FORENSIC MEDICINE

By Dr. Naveen
FORENSIC MEDICINE

 In absolute terms, the phrase ‘forensic science’

means science that is applied to legal matters.
The word ‘forensic’ itself originates from the
Latin word ‘forum’ which during the Hellenistic
and Roman times was the general assembly
where all facts of criminal or disturbing
behaviour were discussed in the open and
verdicts were reached regarding the suspects
involved.
What is forensic medicine
 Forensic medicine, which is also known as
legal medicine, relates to application of
medical knowledge for dispensation of
justice in a court of law.
 Thus this subject teaches a person how to
use his knowledge of
medicine,biology,chemistry etc, to clarify
or solve legal problems or issues
Branches of forensic medicine;
 Forensic pathology
 Forensic toxicology
 Forensic ballistic
 Forensic serology
 Forensic radiology
 Forensic dactylography
 Forensic psychiatry
 Forensic obstetrics
 Forensic odontology
 Forensic Criminology
 Why doctors needs
knowledge of forensic
medicine?
 Often doctor is the chief source of evidence
upon which legal decisions are made.FM
prepares the doctors to face such situation with
efficiency.
 A doctor of any speciality may be asked at any
time to give medicolegal opinion in case of
death.FM helps them in such case
 Fair knowledge of FM is needed to safeguard a
doctor himself from criminal cases.
 A doctor come to know his own code of conduct
what to do and what not through FM.
THE DOCTOR & THE LAW
The legal system:

 Civil law :
It concerns a dispute between two individual or
parties which do not amount to offence.
eg.land dispute,divorce case etc.
 Criminal law :
It concerns offence w/c are considered to be
against general public’s interest.
eg. Murder,theft,rape etc.
 Defendant:
The accused person is called defendant
 Plaintiff:
The other party bringing the action is
called the plaintiff.
Role of a doctor??

 As a defendant
 As a witness
-ordinary witness
-professional witness
-expert witness
Inquest:

 “An inquest is an inquiry or investigation

into the cause of unnatural death or
sudden and suspicious death.”
Types of inquest

 Police inquest
 Magistrate inquest
 Coroner’s inquest
Police inquest:

 Here the officer incharge of the police

station conducts the inquest.
 Invastigating officer Should not be below
the subinspector
Procedure :
 When officer incharge of the police office recieves the information
 Inform about the incidence to the nearest executive magistrate
 Go to the place where the body of such person is
 Makes an investigation in presense of 2 or more respective
persons ( Panchas)
 Prepare reports ( panchanamas)
 Signed by the police officer and the witness
 If no foul play is suspected, dead body will be handed over to the
relative & if there is any suspicious about the foul play then will be
sent for PM examination.
 Body should be sent with the copy of inquest report and chalan
,and one report is forwarded to the magistrate.
Magistrate’s inquest

 It is conducted by the district

magistrate,subdivisional magistrate or any
other executive magistrate
 Done in case of:
Death in prison,police custody,death due
to police firing ,dowry death,Exhumation
etc.
 Difference between police
inquest and magistrates
inquest
Police:
 Cannot hold inquest in case of death in
prison ,police custody,jail etc.
 Gets help from the witness
 Have to inform nearest magistrate
 Cannot issue warrant
 Cannot order exhumation of the dead
body
Witness:
 “ The person who saw,heard or know the
incident and is called upon by the court to
give evidence is known as witness.”
Types of witness:
 Common witness:
“common witness is the person who give
evidence about the facts observed by him.”
 Expert witness:
“expert witness is a person who is capable of
giving opinion about the cases.” or
“Expert witness is a person who has been
trained or is skilled in technical or scientific
subject.”
###
 Subpoena or summons:
“It is a document compelling the attendance of a
witness in a court of law under penalty on a
particular day or time for the purpose of giving
evidence.”
 Conduct money :

“It is the fee offered or paid to a witness,in civil

cases at the time of serving the summons to
meet the expense towards attending the court.”
Medical evidence:
 Evidence:
“All legal means which will help to prove
or disprove any matter in question is
called evidence.”
Types of medical evidence:
 1. Oral
 2. documentary
Documentary evidence:
 “It includes all the documents,written or
printed which may be produced for the
inspection of the court during the course
of trail.”
 3 types:
1.medical certificates
2.Medicolegal reports
3.dying declaration
 1.medical certificates:
- fitness certificates,death
certificates,health certificates etc.
- NMC / PMDC registered
- signature or left thumb impression of
the person should be taken
- Don’t take fee in case of death
certificate.
 2. Medicolegal reports:
“these reports are prepared by a medical
man in response to a requesition from a
magistrate or a police officer.”
eg.post mortem report,injury
certificate,certificate in response to sexual
offence- rape etc.
 3.Dying declaration:
“it is the oral or written statement of a
person,who is dying as a result of some
unlawful act.”
-magistrate should be called if there is
time
-oath is not administered.
‘dying persons tells the truth.’
###
 Dying deposition:
“It is a statement made by a dying person
on oath in a sound state of mind and
recorded by the magistrate in the
presence of the accused or his lawyer
who has an opportunity to cross examine
the dying person.”
- In other word called “bed side court.”
Oral evidence:
 Here the doctor has to attend the court
when summoned.
Procedure:
 Summon
 Conduct money
 When turn comes stand inside the witness box
 Take oath
 Now the question will be asked in the following manner:

i) Examination in chief- done by the lawyer on behalf of that party or

who called him
ii) Cross examination- question is put by the lawyer of the opposite
party
iii) Re-examination- again done by the laywer of the same side to
correct any mistakes
iv) Question by the judge- can ask in any stage in case of doubt
###
 During cross examination_
 Opposite lawyer may say“I object yr
honour”,
 “objection over ruled” – doctor has to
answer.
 “Ruling on the object”
Roles/duties of doctor in a
witness box
 Should be well prepared
 Take all reports,relevent records
 Be well dressed and modest
 Do not discuss the case with anyone in court except the lawyer of yr
own
 Stand up straight
 Be relaxed and calm
 Speak slowly,distinctly and audibly
 Be confident but not over confident
 Use simple language
 Address the judge by his proper title
 Say ‘In my oponion’ don’t say I think
 Never attempts to memorize
IDENTIFICATION OF THE
LIVING AND DEAD
Identification:
 “Identification means establishment of
exact individuality of a person - living or
dead.”
 Types :

- Complete or absolute
- Incomplete or partial
 Complete Identification:
“It means the absolute fixation of the personality
of an individual and determination of the exact
position occupied by him in the society.”
 Incomplete Identification:

“It means certain data have been ascertained

about a person but,other relevant particles
necessary for the establishment of his
personality are unknown.”
When a doctor should identify a
living person??
 Marriage ,Passport,Admission into the
institute,Insurance,pension claims,missing
person
 Assault, rape, sodomy,murder,interchange
of newborn babies in hospital
Dead body???
 Sudden and unexpected death
 Railway,RTA,aircraft accident
 Hidden dead bodies
 Skeleton of isolated bones
 Partially burned dead bodies
Identification data:
 1.Race
 2.Religion
 3.Age
 4.Sex
 5.General configuration- height/wt
 6.Hair
 7.Finger prints and foot prints
 8.External pecularities eg.moles,scars,tattoo marks
 9.Teeth
 10.Handwriting
 11.Speech and voice
 12.Gait,trick of manner and habit
 13.Memory and education
 14.Personal effects – clothes,pocket contents,jewellery etc.
1.Race:
 “It may be defined as the biological concept
denoting the different breeding of origin of
human being ( living in different or same zone
with different characteristics) united by common
hereditary.”
 Mainly 3 types:
- Caucasion- europeans, part of US,australia
- Mongolian- east asia ( china,japan, indonesia)
- Negro- Africa,US,
Distinguishing Points between 3
races:
 Skin
 Hair
 Eyes
 Forehead
 Face
 clothes
2.Religion :
 Hindu/ Muslim
Why you are a Hindu or a
Muslim??
Male :
 Circumcision
 Callosities : a thickened hard mass of a skin occurs in
the area w/c undergoes excessive use
 Clothes

Female:
 Vermilion mark
 Artificial spot
 Tattoo marks
 Position of nose ring aperture
3.Sex:
 3 methods:
- Physical examination
- Gonadal biopsy
- Sex Chromatin ( Nuclear sexing)
 3 types of body:

- fresh body
- Decomposed body
- Mutilated fragments
 1.Fresh body:
- quite easy
- by doing local and physical examination
 2.Decomposed body:
- see for the presence of prostate or
uterus
- resists long after decomposition
- If you can’t find it histological
examination of the suspected t/s.
 3.Mutilated fragments:
- study in details in class of “Autopsy”.
Histologically how we determine
the sex??
 Here we examine the suspected ovarian or
testicular t/s microscopically in case of
decomposed body.
 In cells of a women:
-“Barr body” tiny nodules of chromatin attached
to the inner surface of the nuclear membrane
-“Davidson’s body” small drum stick like nuclear
attachment in WBC
Inter-sex
 “This is the condition in which male and
female characteristics coexist in varying
propertion in same individual.”
--True Hermophrodism: internal sex organ
of both sex present
-- False Hermophrodism:external genitalia
is of opposite sex
4.Age:
 Medicolegal Aspects:
- Identification of an individual both in the
living and dead.
- Rape, Kidnapping,prostitution,Criminal
abortion
- others: Employment,marriage contract
Age determining factors:
 Examination of teeth
 General development
 Ossifications of bones and joints
 Secondary sexual characteristics
Medicolegal aspects:
 7 years : child below 7 years of age cannot be convinced to crime.
 15 years: sexual intercourse with one’s wife below the age of 15 –
rape
- can work in a factory
 16 years: age of consent of sexual intercourse in female

- offenders under 16 – juvenile offenders

- taking away a boy under 16- kidnapping
 18 years: marriageable age of female

- age of entering into government service

- Taking away a girl under 18 – kidnapping
 21 years:
- attainment of majority
- marriagable age of male
5.Dactylography:
 “It is the system for taking the impressions of the
bulbs of the fingers and thumbs with pointed ink
on an unglazed white paper which is examined
by the magnifying lens.”
 Characteristics:
-Present from birth
-Remains constant for whole life
-Absolutely different from individual
Classifications:
 Loops : 67%
 Whorls: 25%
 Arches: 6-7%
 Composite: 1-2%

“LWAK”
Medicolegal Importance:
 100% individuality denotes by dactylography
 To established the identity of criminal by
detecting chance impression left on the scene of
the crimes eg.weapons,glasses.
 To maintain identity record
 Useful in banks,other finantial institutes
 Identification of servants,soldiers,sailors.

‘1 in 64 thousand millions’
6.External Pecularities:
 Deformities:
congenital: cleft lip,cleft
palate,supernumery fingers
acquired: malunited # bones,unilateral
wasting of muscles
 Scars :
These are simply the fibrous t/s covered by
epithelium without hair follicles, pigments or
sweat glands.

Medicolegal importance:
1.Identification of person living or dead
2. shape of scar nature of weapon used
3. Linea albicans : previous pregnancy
Occupational marks:
- Dye in dye workers
- Depression in lower part of the sternum
shoe makers
Medicolegal importance:
Identity
social position
 Tattoo marks:
“These are the designs imprinted in the skin of
some individuals by multiple puncture wounds in
the true skin with needles or similar penetrating
tools dipped in a dye.”
 Dyes commonly used:

Indigo/ cobalt/ carbon/ Vermilion/ prussion blue/

indian ink etc
 Medicolegal importance:
- May help in identity by special design
- may indicate religion or god of worship
- may indicate social status
- may indicate behavioral characteristics
 Natural disappearance??
vermilion,cinnabar,ultramarine disappears after a
minimum of 10 years.
carbon never disappears
Artificial procedure to remove
tattoo marks:
 Surgery
 Applying chemical subs,carbon dioxide
snow,silver tannate
 Galvanocautery
 Lesser beam
7.Handwriting :
 “It is the characteristic of individual
speciality,if it is written rapidly.”
 May be changed in :
-Gradual increasing in age
-some mental or nervous disease
-when person becomes insane
-before the time of death
????
 A criminal removed his tattoo surgically