Emedinews:Insights on Medicolegal Issues:How should biological samples and medical evidences be collected in a medicolegal case?

The analyst/doctor has a legal responsibility to retain untested biological specimen in legal cases so that another person can test it and come to an independent conclusion as to its origin.

The observation of scenes of crime, collection of human body fluids, weapons of the offence and medical examination of victim, accused, or both is required in any investigation of crime against human body such as injury, rape, murder.

The medical examination is carried out in emergency ward of hospitals and treatment of injured and dying patient remains the major focus of the treating doctor. But, in cases of crime against the human body, the medical examination and collection of biological sample/s, its documentation, packaging, and analysis have an important role and should be done by the doctor very meticulously with the high standards of science and the law in mind. These biological materials include: Blood, seminal stains, vaginal smears/slides gastric lavage, chemical substances, poison, hair, fiber, broken glasses, knives, blunt instruments/objects, fire arms, bullet, live and empty cartridge cases, wads, clothing etc. This scientific biological evidence becomes legal evidence in prosecution/acquittal of case if collected correctly.

Emedinews: Inspiearion:Nothing is too big for God

Two men went fishing. One man was an experienced fisherman, the other wasn’t. Every time the experienced fisherman caught a big fish, he put it in his ice chest to keep it fresh. Whenever the inexperienced fisherman caught a big fish, he threw it back.

The experienced fisherman watched this go on all day and finally got tired of seeing this man waste good fish. "Why do you keep throwing back all the big fish you catch?" he asked. The inexperienced fisherman replied, "I only have a small frying pan."

Sometimes, like that fisherman, we throw back the big plans, the big dreams, the big jobs and the big opportunities that God gives us. Our faith is too small. We laugh at that fisherman who didn’t figure out that all he needed was a bigger frying pan; yet how ready are we to increase the size of our faith?

Whether it’s a problem or a possibility, God will never give you anything bigger than you can handle. That means we can confidently walk into anything God brings our way.

Emedinews:Insights on Medicolegal Issues:Medical fasting

• Various blood tests require a fasting of up to 12–16 hours so that a baseline normalcy of blood can be established
• The patient is asked to remain in a fasting state for medical reasons: surgery or other procedures of diagnostic or therapeutic intervention that require anesthetic. The presence of food in a person's system can cause complications when they are anesthetized; medical personnel strongly suggest that their patients fast for several hours before the procedure.
• Some animal studies show that fasting every other day while eating double the normal amount of food on non–fasting days led to better insulin control, neuronal resistance to injury and health indicators similar to mice on calorie restricted diets.
• Patient refusal of nutrition and hydration in terminal illness: "within the contexts of adequate palliative care, the refusal of food and fluids does not contribute to suffering among the terminally ill" and might actually contribute to a comfortable passage from life: "At least for some persons, starvation does correlate with reported euphoria."
• In homeopathic medicine, fasting is seen as a way of cleansing the body of toxins, dead or diseased tissues, and giving the gastrointestinal system a rest. During fasts, water, fruit and vegetable juices are usually taken on choice.

Emedinews:Inspiration:A couple’s heartbreak

A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a loving couple and the boy was the apple of their eyes.

One morning, when the boy was around two years old, the husband saw a medicine bottle open. He was late for work so he asked the wife to cap the bottle and put it in the cupboard. The mother, preoccupied in the kitchen, totally forgot the matter.

The boy saw the bottle and playfully went to it and, fascinated with its color, drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages. When the child collapsed, the mother hurried him to the hospital, where he died. The mother was stunned; she was terrified. How would she face her husband?

 When the distraught father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and uttered just four words. “I Love You Darling.”

 The husband’s totally unexpected reaction is proactive behavior. The child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point in finding fault with the mother. Besides, if only he have taken time to put the bottle away, this would not have happened.

 No point in attaching blame. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband. That is what he gave her. Sometimes we spend time asking who is responsible or who’s to blame, whether in a relationship, in a job or with the people we know and miss out on the warmth in human relationships we could receive by giving each other support.

 After all, shouldn’t forgiving someone we love be the easiest thing in the world to do? Treasure what you have. Don’t multiply pain, anguish and suffering by holding onto forgiveness. Let go of all your envies, jealousies, unwillingness to forgive, selfishness, and fears and you will find things are actually not as difficult as you think.

 If everyone could look at life with this kind of perspective, there would be fewer problems in the world.

Emedinews:Insights on Medicolegal Issues:What is the Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen murder case?

The most notorious and famous murder case in British history

Hawley Harvey Crippen was hanged to death in London in one of the most notorious and famous murder cases in British history for the murder of his wife Cora Henrietta Crippen, on November 23, 1910 on the basis of forensic evidence. For nearly a century, Crippen, a doctor, was thought to have poisoned his wife with an obscure toxin, and buried. He was labeled "one of the most dangerous and remarkable men who have lived in this century." Researchers have now cast doubts on this conviction. Now forensic science at Michigan State University is producing evidence that his execution was a mistake. David Foran, a forensic expert and director of MSU’s forensic science program, partnering with clinical and forensic toxicologist John Harris Trestrail the managing director of the regional poison center in Grand Rapids, is combining state–of–the–art DNA analysis with solid sleuthing to show the remains buried in Crippen’s basement couldn’t have been his wife.

Emedinews:Inspiration:The Blind Boy

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: “I am blind, please help.” There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?” The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.” What he had written was: “Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.” Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing? Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective? Moral of the story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. Invite others towards good with wisdom. Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Great men say, “Life has to be an incessant process of repair and reconstruction, of discarding evil and developing goodness…. In the journey of life, if you want to travel without fear, you must have the ticket of a good conscience.” The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling… And even more beautiful is knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!

Emedinews;Inspiration:The Blind Boy

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: “I am blind, please help.” There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?” The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.” What he had written was: “Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.” Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing? Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective? Moral of the story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. Invite others towards good with wisdom. Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Great men say, “Life has to be an incessant process of repair and reconstruction, of discarding evil and developing goodness…. In the journey of life, if you want to travel without fear, you must have the ticket of a good conscience.” The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling… And even more beautiful is knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!