Forensic Medicine: A Synopsis of the Past, Present and a Glimpse into the Future Scenarios

Forensic medicine is the science (as well as the art) of applying medical knowledge, skills (and perhaps even the attitudes) to assist in the process of execution of justice. Forensic medicine is broadly divided into clinical forensic medicine and forensic pathology though the boundaries between the two are merging. Forensic pathology is not a pure science as it is nurtured by many other sciences, sociological/criminological disciplines and law. The principle role of forensic pathology today is to deal with numerous medico-legal issues pertaining to all forms of deaths. To achieve this, the principle approach of forensic pathology today in most of the institutions globally is conducting a standard autopsy. In this review article, we expect to discuss the historical development of forensic pathology up to what it is today, its present role and scope as well as the predictable future of forensic pathology with the recent developments of technology.

MEDICOLEGAL CASE PROFILE OF A CENTRAL TERTIARY HOSPITAL IN CHHATTISGARH

Background: Medicolegal cases accounts for an important and crucial bulk in any hospital. It involves meticulous handling in both examination and paper-work. Categorization of MLC cases under certain groups is vital for understanding the trending pattern. These parameters help the concerned authorities to formulate policies and norms accordingly. Methods:Aretrospective study was carried out in the Clinical Forensic Medicine Unit of a tertiary care hospital in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India. All cases during the period from 1st January 2019 to 31st December 2019 were considered and evaluated. Non MLC and MLC cases with incomplete records were excluded. Both percentage and numbers of the evaluated data are mentioned. Results: st st A total number of 1488 cases were reported during 1 January to 31 December 2019. Among the 1488 cases reported, 33.06% were among the age group 21-30 years followed by 20.56 % and 15.66 % in the age groups 31-40 years and 11-20 years respectively. Most of the medico legal cases registered were of are males (77.15 %). Highest number of MLC cases were recorded (37.70 %) during the time period of 06:00 pm to 12:00 Midnight. Road Trafc accidents accounted for 59.07% of the cases followed by brought dead cases (8.40 Percent). Conclusion: Study of the Medicolegal Cases pattern requires keen and exhaustive observation skills. Proper training of Registered Medical Practitioners is vital in today's practice so that the fallacies and mistakes can be reduced, thus aiding the Law of the country and its legal implications.

Life-threatening danger assessments of penetrating injuries in Eastern Danish clinical forensic medicine

Clinical forensic assessments of injuries’ life-threatening danger may have an impact on the legal aftermath following a violent assault. The pursuit of evidence-based guidelines should ensure a user-independent and reproducible forensic practice. However, does it? The aim of this study was to evaluate the forensic life-threatening danger assessments after a protocol implementation in 2016. The evaluation concerned usability and reproducibility of the protocol, and its influence on assessment severity. We analyzed the level of inter- and intra-rater agreement using 169 blinded, prior-protocol cases that were reassessed by two forensic specialists. We compared assessment made the year before and after protocol implementation (n = 262), and the forensic specialists’ reassessments with the prior-protocol cases’ original assessments (n = 169). Whether to make an assessment, the levels of agreement varied between weak agreement (inter-rater, Κ = 0.43; assessor 1, Κ = 0.57) and strong agreement (assessor 2, Κ = 0.90). Regarding severity, the levels of agreement varied between strong agreement (inter-rater, Κ = 0.87; assessor 1: Κ = 0.90) and almost perfect agreement (assessor 2: Κ = 0.94). The assessments were statistically significant redistributed after the implementation (chi-square test: p < 0.0001). The proportion of cases assessed as having not been in life-threatening danger increased from 9 to 43%, and moderate severity assessments decreased from 55 to 23%. Of the moderate severity assessments, 55% were reassessed as having not been in life-threatening danger. The protocol ensured independent and reproducible assessments when the forensic specialists agreed on making one. The protocol resulted in less severe assessments. Future studies should examine the reliability of the protocol and its consequences for legal aftermaths.