Death due to sharp force violence is the most common cause of homicide in India including many other parts of Europe, as well as in Africa and Asia. It also accounts for 30% of fatal and non–fatal family assaults in the USA.
• In the year 2010, I conducted medicolegal postmortems on 29 cases (from south Delhi) of death due to stab wounds.
• A stab wound is produced as a result of penetration of long narrow instruments with blunt or pointed ends such as knife, dagger, nail, needle, spear, arrow, screwdriver etc. into the depths of the body, penetrating the skin and the underlying tissues that is deeper than its length and width on skin.
• It can be caused by driving the object into the body or from the body’s pressing or falling against the object. The object penetrates into the body due to its momentum.
• The wound is called punctured wound when it enters a body cavity only one way. But, when the weapon enters the body on one side and comes out through the other side, it is called a perforating wound.
• The wound of entry is larger and the wound of exit is smaller due to tapering of the blade in stab wound which is contrary to firearm missile entry and exit wounds.
• The doctor conducting the postmortem examination must keep in mind that the shape and size of the wound suggests the width and type of weapon whether it is single edged or otherwise, the depth of the wound will indicate the length of weapon, the directions and dimensions of the wound indicate the relative position of the assailant and the victim, and the position, direction and number of wound may indicate manner of production, i.e., suicide, accident or homicide
• The doctor must preserve a broken fragment of weapon, if found, for the police. It may help to identify the weapon or connect the accused person with the crime.
(Contributed by Dr Sudhir Gupta)
• In the year 2010, I conducted medicolegal postmortems on 29 cases (from south Delhi) of death due to stab wounds.
• A stab wound is produced as a result of penetration of long narrow instruments with blunt or pointed ends such as knife, dagger, nail, needle, spear, arrow, screwdriver etc. into the depths of the body, penetrating the skin and the underlying tissues that is deeper than its length and width on skin.
• It can be caused by driving the object into the body or from the body’s pressing or falling against the object. The object penetrates into the body due to its momentum.
• The wound is called punctured wound when it enters a body cavity only one way. But, when the weapon enters the body on one side and comes out through the other side, it is called a perforating wound.
• The wound of entry is larger and the wound of exit is smaller due to tapering of the blade in stab wound which is contrary to firearm missile entry and exit wounds.
• The doctor conducting the postmortem examination must keep in mind that the shape and size of the wound suggests the width and type of weapon whether it is single edged or otherwise, the depth of the wound will indicate the length of weapon, the directions and dimensions of the wound indicate the relative position of the assailant and the victim, and the position, direction and number of wound may indicate manner of production, i.e., suicide, accident or homicide
• The doctor must preserve a broken fragment of weapon, if found, for the police. It may help to identify the weapon or connect the accused person with the crime.
(Contributed by Dr Sudhir Gupta)
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