International Journal of Medical Toxicology and Forensic Medicine
Volume:4 Issue: 1, Winter 2014

Establishing personal identity is one of the main concerns in forensic investigations. Estimation of stature forms a basic domain of the investigation process in unknown and co-mingled human remains in forensic anthropology. The objective of the present study was to set up standards for estimation of stature from the foot length and breadth. The study samples were constituted than 120 medical students (60 males and 60 females) of Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College, Kolar. The participants were aged between 18 and 21 years. Two anthropometric measurements viz. foot length and foot breadth will be taken independently on the left foot of each individual. The results were tabulated and then regression equation was derived.The correlation between stature and all the foot measurements was found to be positive and statistically significant (P value<0.001). Regression equations were derived for estimation of stature from the measurements of the foot. The present study indicates that anthropometric measurements of foot length and breadth are valuable in the estimation of stature. Foot length measurements estimate stature with greater accuracy when compared to foot breadth measurements.

In the present study, the objectives were to determine the incidence of persistence of metopic sutures, their shape and extent in south Indian human adult skulls. The study was conducted on 100 human adult dry skulls which belong to the museum of the department of Forensic medicine & toxicology and the department of Anatomy, JJM Medical College, Davangere, Karnataka. The metopic sutures were classified as complete and incomplete types. The incomplete was divided into linear, ‘V’ shaped and ‘U’ shaped, which were further divided into three groups as present in the lower part of the frontal bone, in the upper part, and in the middle part. From our observations, the metopic suture was present in 13 (13%) cases. The complete metopic suture was seen in 6 skulls (6%) and incomplete one in 7 (7%). Among the incomplete ones, linear was found in 5 (5%), ‘V’ shaped in 1 (1%) and ‘U’ shaped type in 1 (1%) cases. In 7 (7%), cases it was observed in the lower part of frontal bone, but no suture remnant was found in the upper and lower part of frontal bone. Due to the paucity in the availability of the skulls, a lesser number of sample size was taken in our study. But a good analysis can be done with a larger sample size, to give a constructive data.

Methadone as a synthetic opioid is widely used for treatment of opioid dependency. One of the causes of methadone related sudden death is cardiac toxicity. This study was aimed to determine the electrocardiographic changes in acute methadone poisoning. This is a cross sectional study on patients older than 12 years old with acute methadone poisoning who were admitted in Loghman poisoning center at 2010-2011. Data analysis was done by means of SPSS version 16 and appropriate statistical tests at the significant level of P<0.05. In one year period, 51 patients with mean age of 40.59±18.27 (31-51) years, including 39 males, with acute methadone poisoning were included in to the study. Seven patients (13.7%) were acutely poisoned, 29 patients (56.8%) had acute on chronic methadone poisoning and others had not reliable history. The mean time of PR, QRS and QTc were 150.2±34.22, 77.06±13.89 and 421.76±43.04ms, respectively. The prolongation of PR, QRS and QTc were observed in 9.8%, 1.96% and 17.6% of patients, respectively. A significant statistical association was observed between PR prolongation and type of poisoning and QRS prolongation and outcome (P=0.035 and 0.009). The findings of this study indicate the occurrence of cardiac toxicity in patients with acute methadone poisoning. Further studies are required on acute methadone poisoning in patients with known previous cardiac status.

Acute poisoning is one of the most problems of health systems in the world. The aims of this study are evaluation of demographic characteristics and causes of poisonings in patients referred to Karaj Shariati hospital. A cross sectional study was done in one year. With a non-probability convenience sampling, all of poisoning patients admitted in Karaj Shariati hospital from June 2011 to June 2012 were studied. Data collected from patients records and then analyzed. One hundred seventy two drug poisoning patients with mean age of 29.8 (SD=13.4) years evaluated. The most common drugs which caused poisoning were: Benzodiazepines, Tramadol, Psychiatry drugs and Acetaminophen. 12.8 percent of patients had drug-induced seizure and mortality rate was 5.8 %. There was a relation between Tramadol poisoning and drug-induced seizure(p value=0.000, Odds Ratio=12.8, 95%Confidence of Interval (4.7-34.8)). This study showed that Tramadol poisoning prevalence is high and opiates are the most common cause of death in drug poisonings, which show need to more educations in schools and addiction-disuse centers and more controls on pharmacies.

Scrotal injury with perforation is not often reported in forensic medicine since it has been a topic of discussion in urology, as it requires various measures in prevention and reconstruction of the damaged scrotal tissues. Injuries of the scrotum and its adjoining structure may lead to temporary or permanent impotence or infertility or both impotence and infertility in males. Among the various reasons of genital injuries, blunt trauma is the commonest, followed by injuries like animal bite and self-mutilation. Some of these injuries are not reported but this type of injury requires immediate attention and treatment to prevent long term psychological and sexual dysfunction. Under section 320 IPC (Indian Penal Code 1860), the first clause defines emasculation as a result of amputation, direct assault, nerve injury other injuries caused by accidents, violent sexual act etc. leading to sexual disability.Case Report: Here is a case of accidental scrotal injury that led to the perforation of the scrotum. The perforation was by blunt force derived from the hand breaks of a cycle which penetrated to the root of the penis. As far as this particular case is concerned the penetrating scrotal injury may lead to sexual impotence and long term male sex hormone imbalance which may affect the physical and sexual performance of the patient.

The case report highlights the importance of doing a thorough searching autopsy in all cases, and particularly in cases of homicide, as objects of valuable evidential importance can be found within the body, which form part of the “Corpus Delicti”, providing clinching evidence towards guilt of the accused person and thereby ensuring conviction of the guilty.Case Report: This case report describes the case of a person who was stabbed and the terminal portion of the knife broke and got lodged in his spine. At autopsy, the broken tip was recovered and showed to fit perfectly with the main part of the knife which was recovered by the Police from the scene of the crime, proving that the recovered weapon was indeed the weapon of offence. Further, the blood group of the blood stains over the knife recovered at the scene of crime and that of the victim matched. A match between a broken tip of a knife recovered from the body of stab victim and the main part of the knife recovered from the scene of crime is almost equal to a ballistics match in significance, with regard to establishing whether a given knife was the particular weapon of offence in a certain crime or not. Hence, in cases where such a knife with a broken blade is found and suspected to be the weapon of offence, a careful search at autopsy should be made to locate the broken tip.