Introduction:
The purpose of examination of a body is to discover the identity of the body when it is not known. Examination of the body is to necessary to determine the time since death and cause of death. Identification is the determination of person that either he is living or dead by recognizing him from certain characteristics which are unique for him.
Cases where Identification of Dead is Required:
Identification of dead is required in following cases,
• In cases of fire, explosions and accidents.
• Discovery of unknown dead body.
• A death where violence is suspected.
• In cases of decomposed, disfigured bodies or skeletal remains.
Points to be noted for the Purpose of Identification:
Following ports are usually notes for the purpose of identification.
Race:
The question of determination of race arises in the identification of unknown or unclaimed dead bodies.
Determination of Race:
The race can be determined from the following,
1. Clothes:
The clothes can tell about the whereabout of the deceased.
2. Complexion:
The skin is dark in negroes, brown in Pakistan and fair in European.
3. Hair:
The negroes have curly hair, Europeans have blonde and Pakistanis have black hair.
4. Eyes:
The western people usually have blue eyes and Pakistanis have dark eyes.
5. Lips:
The negroes have thick lips and Pakistanis have thin hair.
Sex:
It is easy to determine sex in normal cases from external inspection but becomes difficult in some cases like advanced decomposed bodies and in the skeleton.
1. Determination of Sex in Decomposed Bodies:
The presence of uterus will determine the sex of the body in case of decomposed bodies. In case of disfigured bodies, the sex of the body is determined from,
• Hairs of head, face, chest or pubes.
• Presence of sexual organs.
• Development of the breasts.
• Recognition prostatic or mammary tissue under microscope.
2. Determination of Sex in Skeleton:
It is not possible to determine sex from skeleton with full amount of certainty. However, the major difference between the male and female skeleton are,
In case of female,
• The bones are smaller, lighter and smoother.
• Facial bones are small.
• Thorax is short and wider.
• Pelvis is shallower, wider, smoother and lighter.
In case of male,
• Bones are heavy, big and rough.
• Facial bones are bigger.
• Thorax is long.
• Pelvis is deep, narrow and heavy.
Age:
The age of an individual can be determined from the following means,
1. Teeth:
The age can be determined from the teeth of the deceased.
2. Height and Weight:
Height and weight are also relevant and are considered in determining age.
3. Complexion and Features:
The complexion may be fair, dark or brown. The features may resemble to his/her parents or relatives.
4. Hair:
It is an important mean of establishing the identity of the dead body.
5. Fingerprints:
It is the method of taking the impressions of fingers and thumbs with printer's ink on a paper and then examining them with a magnifying glass. It is also an important method to determine the identity of a person.
6. Irregularities:
Irregularities is also an excellent mean of identification. These may be from birth or occurred later. It is also an important method to determine the identity of a person.
7. Scars:
Scars may help to determine the identity of a person.
8. Occupation Marks:
These are helpful in identifying unknown bodies as certain professions leave marks e.g. rough hands are observed among individuals employed in hard manual labors.
9. Clothes and Parts:
They are very valuable in establishing the identification of a dead body. It is therefore necessary to preserve them along with any other things such as watch, visiting card, etc. found on dead body.
10. Nature of Ornaments:
Where only parts are sent to the post mortem, the nature and character of the parts should be described.
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