Conclusion

The brief Conclusion directs readers to the way in which the preceding book has addressed the questions set out in the Introduction, namely, whence the dragon familiar in the modern West derives, both in terms of its form and in terms of its typical narratives. The issue of form is chiefly addressed in Chapters 1, 3, 4, 5, and 10; that of the dragon’s typical narratives and associated motifs is chiefly addressed in Chapters 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11. It is noted that, across the three major groups of narratives considered in the volume, those of Graeco-Roman antiquity, those of hagiography, and those of the medieval Germanic world, six core motifs are shared by all, namely: the dragon’s marauding nature, its fieriness, its pestilential breath, its cave-home, its control of a water-source, and, a less prominent one, its generation from a human corpse. Within its narrative, the dragon is a creature of destruction; beyond it, it is a creature of integration.

Forensic Osteology and Identification

Every human corpse is unique. There are different religions in different parts of the world which adopt a variety of ways to dispose of corpses. Dead bodies can be found unattended, dug up, mutilated by the perpetrators of crimes, and eaten by wild animals in lonely unattended places. In these situations, forensic anthropologists or anatomists are consulted by the state authorities to help them to provide justice to the deceased person. The first and foremost scientific information desired by authorities is identification of the corpse, cause of death of the human body and weapon used, if applicable. Identification can be done by studying the bones of the human corpse during autopsy examination and if unknown skeletal remains are all that is available, examination of each bone is required. Forensic anthropologists or pathologists are asked to identify race, sex and age as important parameters of the identification. In this chapter, we will enumerate various parameters for identification. We will discuss race, age and sex from various bones as part of forensic oesteology.

Forensic evaluation of age by X-ray morphometric features of the arytenoid cartilage of the human laryngeal complex

The aim of the study was to develop a method for age evaluation based on the mineralization signs of the larynx arytenoid cartilage (AC) during the destroyed human corpse expertise. X-ray images of isolated AC preparations from both sexes (male – 264, female – 106) aged from 19 to 91 years were studied. Morphometry was conducted on: the area (in mm2) and the degree (%) of mineralization of both AC separately and united, a total of 6 features. Results. There is no correlation between the signs of AC mineralization and the length of the human body (r = 0.01-0.201). The correlation of these signs with age is high in men, (r = 0.741-0.781), and moderate in women (r = 0.470-0.508). There is a pronounced correlation between all age-dependent signs of AC (r = 0.948-0.985). According to the discriminant analysis results, the correct classification of the age groups 19-44 and 45-91 years is 82.9% in men, 77.03% in women. Practically reliable and probable diagnostics of men age is possible in 32.58 and 33.33%, of women age – in 5.41 and 37.84% of cases. According to the regression analysis, the age diagnostics in the range from 19 to 91 years in men is possible with an accuracy of ± 10.02 years (R = 0.799; R2 = 0.635), in women – ± 18.864 years (R = 0.506; R2 = –0.249). Forensic determination of the women age by regression models is excluded.

New Species of Soldier Fly—Sargus bipunctatus (Scopoli, 1763) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), Recorded from a Human Corpse in Europe—A Case Report

The only European Stratiomyidae species known for feeding on human corpses was the black soldier fly Hermetia illucens (Linnaeus, 1758). Analysis of fauna found on a human corpse, discovered in central Poland, revealed the presence of feeding larvae of another species from this family: the twin-spot centurion fly Sargus bipunctatus (Scopoli, 1763). The investigated corpse was in a stage of advanced decomposition. The larvae were mainly observed in the adipocere formed on the back and lower limbs of the corpse, and in the mixture of litter and lumps of adipocere located under the corpse. Adult specimens and larvae were identified based on morphological characters, and final identification was confirmed using DNA barcoding. Implementing a combination of morphological and molecular methods provided a reliable way for distinguishing the larvae of S. bipunctatus and H. illucens. The potential of S. bipunctatus for practical applications in forensic entomology is currently difficult to assess. Wide and reliable use of S. bipunctatus in the practice of forensic entomology requires further studies of the bionomy of this fly.

The dignity of the human corpse in forensic medicine

Working with the dead is a very specific kind of work. Although a dignified handling of the corpses is demanded by the legislator and by the general public, neither the legal status of the corpse is undisputed nor is it obvious what a dignified handling of the deceased should consist of. In our hypothesis generating pilot study, we asked which concrete considerations are involved in daily practice of forensic specialists. We used an online questionnaire (invitations via e-mail) consisting of questions with single choice, multiple choice, and free text entries. The answers to single or multiple choice questions were displayed in pivot tables. The data was thus summarized, viewed, descriptively analyzed, and displayed together with the free text answers. 84.54% of the physicians and 100% of the autopsy assistants stated that considerations concerning the dignity of the deceased should play a role in daily autopsy practice. 45.87% stated that the conditions surrounding the autopsy need improvement to be ethically suitable. The analysis of the survey’s results was based on Robert Audi’s ethics, according to which three aspects need to be lightened in order to evaluate the conduct of a person morally: the actions, the motivation, and the way in which the actions are carried out. This systematization helps to identify the need for improvement and to make the vague demands for a dignified handling of corpses more concrete.

Human corpse model for video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy simulation and training

OBJECTIVES Minimally invasive surgery simulation is an integral part of surgical education and skills acquisition. Our goal was to present a new video-assisted thoracic surgery simulation model based on the human corpse as an alternative to animal models. METHODS Selective cannulation of the cadaver heart was used to fill the pulmonary vessels with a gel to improve the visibility and tactile feedback of the vessels and to simulate any bleeding complications. During surgical simulation, the tutor fills out a questionnaire designed to evaluate the duration of the procedure, the correct completion of the surgical steps and the occurrence of complications. At the end of the simulation session, in order to compare the simulation to clinical practice, all the participants were asked to answer 5 questions using a scale from 1 to 10. RESULTS We have performed 2 hands-on sessions using 2 human corpses for each session. Each surgeon performed 1 lobectomy using video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) first as the operator and at least 1 lobectomy as an assistant. The median operative time was 83 min in favour of surgeons who had previously performed more than 30 video-assisted lobectomies (P = 0.03). All the surgeons were able to complete all the steps of the procedure; surgeons who had performed fewer than 10 lobectomies required more support by the tutors than the other surgeons. The median total score was 40.5 (interquartile range 39–44.8). CONCLUSIONS We believe that this model includes most of the features necessary to validate a surgical simulator and allows realistic training for performing a VATS lobectomy. This model could be an effective alternative to anaesthetized animals for VATS lobectomy training and simulation.