pathology and entomology Flashcards

1
Q

What is pathology?

A

pathology: medical speciality originally designed to study structural and morphological changes to body as a result of a disease state

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2
Q

what is forensic pathology?

A

forensic pathology: medical speciality designed to determine the cause and manner of death in cases of suspicious or unexplained death

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3
Q

what is an autopsy?

A

autopsy: post-mortem examination performed on a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death

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4
Q

what is a cause of death? can you give an example?

A

-pathologist first determines the primary or immediate cause of death, followed by secondary or contributing causes of death
-mechanisms of death are the actual physical, physiological, or chemical event that bring on cessation of life
-trauma or disease or a combination of both are causes of death

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5
Q

what is a manner of death? what are the 5 manners of death? can you give an example?

A

manner of death: the determination of how the injury or disease leads to death
1. homicide
-refers to the act of killing another person
-often the most investigated death, therefore making it the most autopsied
2. natural
-death of someone by occurring disease process or is not apparent given medical history or circumstances
-majority of natural death caused by old age
-other causes of natural death: heart disease, stroke, genetic disorders, etc.
3. accidental
-often caused by mistake or in a freak occurrence
-these deaths are not planned, yet can be explained by surrounding circumstances
4. suicide
-the act of ending one’s own life
-these autopsies often easily identify source, cause, and other factors of the death
-suicide is often identifies in the forensic autopsy as a cause of toxic, firearms, blunt force trauma, etc.
5. unknown (undetermined)
-may include deaths in absentia, such as deaths as sea and missing persons declared dead in a court of law

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6
Q

when must an autopsy be performed?

A

-sudden, unexpected death
-violent death
-unattended or suspicious

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7
Q

what is the autopsy process? what does it consist of?

A

autopsy process: the examination of the body to determine cause and manner of death
-a search of the body for physical evidence is done that can yield clues to the identity of the deceased, if unknown
1. external examination
-detailed examination of entire body, all wounds and trauma are noted
-body is photographed, clothed, and unclothes
-physical evidence collected off body
-samples of hair, nails, etc. are collected
-examine for wounds unclothed
-note scars, tattoos, or other unusual body markings including lacerations, abrasions, bruises
2. internal examination
-incisions to torso are made and internal examinations done-Y-shaped cut from behinds each ear running down the neck, meeting at the breastbone, continuing towards the groin
-body fluid samples taken, major organs removes and weighed, assessment of wounds done
-external objects that may have caused death are removed
-X-rays may be taken

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8
Q

what are the classifications of violent deaths? can you give an example of each?

A
  1. mechanical
    -gunshot, stabbing, fall
  2. thermal
    -burns, extreme cold
  3. electrical
    -electrical burns, electrocution
  4. chemical
    -drugs, alcohol
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9
Q

sharp force injuries vs. blunt force injuries

A

sharp force injuries= injuries that result from contact with knives or other sharp instruments
-causes an incised wound (with relatively sharp edges)
blunt force injuries= injuries that results from contact with objects
-cause a laceration (has rough edges)

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10
Q

are firearm injuries an example of sharp or blunt force injuries?

A

blunt force injury

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11
Q

what are characteristics of contact, intermediate, and distant gunshot wounds?

A
  1. contact
    -gun pressed next to body and discharged; entry wound shows blackening and swelling from release of hot gases and often causes lacerations (stellate wound)
  2. intermediate
    -unburned and partially burned propellant lodged in skin, called stippling
  3. distant
    -shots reflect no stippling
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12
Q

hyperthermia vs. hypothermia

A

hyperthermia: extreme heat
hypothermia: extreme cold

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13
Q

damage from moderate voltages vs. high voltages

A

moderate voltage damage: causes heart to quiver uncontrollably which is known as ventricular fibrillation (1,000 volts or less)
high voltage damage: can cause extreme burns and damage to cellular material in body-heart stops breathing

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14
Q

how does carbon monoxide cause death?

A

-carbon monoxide causes death through chemical causes like asphyxiation (lack of oxygen)

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15
Q

what is post-mortem interval? what is used by forensic pathologists to estimate post-mortem interval?

A

post-mortem interval: estimated time since death
-temperature and physical environment are noted from crime scene investigation
-amount of clothing or covering noted
-core body temp is taken to determine preliminary estimate of algor mortis (tendency of body to cool after death)

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16
Q

what is algor mortis, rigor mortis, and livor mortis?

A

algor mortis: degree of cooling of the body
-an adequately clothed adult will cool 1° C each hour after death
-only used if the death took place within 12 hours of discovery
rigor mortis: degree of stiffening of the body
-2 to 5 hours after death, muscles contract and joints stiffen and the process is complete in 12-15 hours being accelerated by heat and physical activity before death
-2 to 3 days later, rigor mortis disappears
livor mortis: pooling of blood in the lowest portions of the body caused by gravity
-blood ceases to circulate and pool at the lowest parts of the body and upper parts become pale
-is disrupted by the body resting on the floor where pressure prevents blood pooling; onset is as soon as 30 mins after death, after several hours livor mortis is fixed (color changes from red to green to brown)

17
Q

what is forensic entomology?

A

forensic entomology: the application of the study of insects and related arthropods t legal issues

18
Q

what do forensic entomologists primarily focus on?

A

-forensic entomologists primarily focus on medicolegal matters involving death, abuse, and neglect cases
-focusing on primarily on post-mortem interval (PMI) looking at the type of insect present on/near the body

19
Q

what can forensic entomology be used to determine?

A

-climate and temp conditions at death
-location and movement of the body
-body storage
-location of antemortem injuries
-submerging of the body in water
-the presence of drugs in bodies
-PMI

20
Q

life cycle of blowfly

A
  1. blow fly larva forms from egg 8 hours after the egg is deposited
  2. the second instar forms 20 hours after that
  3. after 5 days, the larva stops feeding and rests
  4. third instar stage forms 20 hours after that
  5. after 5 days, the larva stops feeding and rests
  6. after a few days, the larva becomes a pupa
  7. adult fly emerges 3 weeks later
21
Q

what factors may affect the decomposition process?

A

-temperature
-insect activity
-depth of burial
-humidity/dryness
-body size/weight
-chemicals (lime, accelerants, embalming)
-while bacteria is primary contributor to decomposition, arthropods can speed up process