Summary
Summary chapter 4 & 5
- Course
- KRM 210 Part A (KRM210)
- Institution
- University Of Pretoria (UP)
Notes covering all content for chapter 4&5 of KRM 210(SECTION B)
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Content preview
©WM MoagiCriminology 210
Chapter 4: Forensic Pathology
• Forensic pathology
o is the study of the effects of trauma, injury and non - natural diseases on the human body?
o Particularly in accidental, suicidal, and homicidal case
o tissue damage is the main finding.
• Cases of poisoning is included in the field of study, but is separated because not all poisons
because tissue damage:
o Example: Injected with an overdose of sodium. Person dies of what looks to be a heart
attack. Thus, it looks like a natural cause of death. Sodium does not cause tissue damage
at all.
Circumstances under which deaths are seen as non – natural.
• Whenever a non - natural death is suspected, an (Post-mortem) autopsy is done by forensic
pathologist.
• When a person dies as a result of the effect of:
o Force: aggravated assault
o Physical (external) factor: car accident or gunshot wound
o Chemical substance: poisoning or overdose
• Someone dies as a result of an act / omission to act.
o Act: doctor prescribed the wrong medication; person then dies of heart attack.
o Omission to act: refuse medical help and as a result, the person dies/ Person A Chokes on
Food and Person B see it and does nothing about it, leading to Person A dying.
o Even though the person dies of natural causes.
o Cases of medical negligence.
• Suddenly an unexpected death of natural causes e.g., Heart Attack.
• Person had a clean bill of health then dropped dead of a heart attack the next week.
• Someone who dies during an operation while under general anaesthetics/ surgery.
The role of the pathologist at the scene of death
• Not called out to all scenes of deaths that seem suspicious.
• The role of the pathologist would be to.
o pronounce a person dead.
o assist in determining the manner of death - NOT the cause of
death. For example: accidental, suicidal, homicidal, or
undetermined.
o assist with establishing the time of death - Gets a time frame of death (this is important to
test a suspect’s alibi, studying post-mortem changes such as Rigor Mortis, hypostasis,
Cooling, Decomposition, Insects)
, lOMoAR cPSD| 8128673
o assist in general with obtaining clues and evidence that will reveal the truth of what had
happened.
Objective investigation of the crime scene
• Before the forensic pathologist can start his part of the investigation
o He has to make sure that all photographs and sketches have been done.
o Any signs of a struggle
▪ Overturned furniture
▪ Tear Clothing
▪ Wounds
▪ Weapons
▪ Broken branches, grass, etc.
▪ To determine the manner of death.
o Weapon
▪ If a weapon is found, they should take care to note the position of the weapon in
relation of the body.
▪ The weapon should be handled with extreme care (e.g., Preserve Fingerprints, blood,
hair, fibre)
▪ If a weapon is found, especially in the hand of the victim, they should take note
whether the weapon is grasped loosely or tightly in the hand.
If the weapon is present:
▪ Homicide may be suspected.
▪ Forensic pathologist must determine the weapon used.
o Position of the body / posture of the body
▪ Determine the Rigor mortis and hypostasis (post-mortem changes).
▪ Determine whether there was movement of the body.
o Clothing the victim is wearing.
▪ General condition of the clothes.
▪ Note Tears, missing buttons, blood stains, gunshot residue, unzipped pants.
▪ Be very mindful of trace evidence that might be on clothes.
▪ Homicide – Wounds inflicted through clothes.
▪ Suicide- Wounds inflicted on skin.
o Study Amount of bleeding at the
crime scene carefully
▪ 4.7-5.5 Litres of blood on
average person
▪ Pathologist should guard against misinterpretation.
▪ Amount of blood does not necessarily reveal injuries.
▪ If there is blood, there should be noted how much blood is at the crime scene.
Amount must make sense.
o Must study primary scene (Site of actual death) & secondary scene (Dumping Site)
o Examination of a body at the crime scene.
▪ Look for self-defence wounds.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through EFT, credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying this summary from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller William1205. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy this summary for R98,00. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
51036 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy summaries for 15 years now