INTRODUCTION TO FORENSIC MEDICINE - PowerPoint Presentation

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INTRODUCTION TO FORENSIC MEDICINE

DR ATWINE RAYMOND

(MBChB,

MMed

Path)

GENERAL CONCEPTS

Forensic medicine- branch of medicine that deals with

application of medical knowledge to the investigation of crime, particularly in establishing the causes of injury or death

.

Autopsy

Vs Necropsy VS post-mortem examination

is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough 

examination of

a corpse by dissection to determine the cause and manner of death or to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present for research or educational purposes. 

Autopsies are performed for either legal or medical purposes. For example, a forensic autopsy is carried out when the cause

of death may

be a criminal matter, while a clinical or academic autopsy is performed to find the medical cause of death and is used in cases of unknown or uncertain death, or for research purposes

Types of autopsy

Medico-Legal Autopsy or Forensic

which

is performed

on the instructions of the legal

authority responsible

for the investigation of sudden,

suspicious, obscure

, unnatural, litigious or criminal

deaths

, deaths without medical assistance or

during surgical procedures.

In most systems the permission of the relatives

is

not required

ii. C

linical or Pathological autopsies

is one in which

the medical

attendants, with the consent of relatives,

seek to

learn the extent of the disease for which they

were treating

the deceased patient

. Can be used for research purposes

Anatomical or academic autopsies

are performed by students of anatomy for study purpose only

Cause of death

The cause of death is the injury or disease, or a

combination of

the two, responsible for initiating the events leading to

the individual’s

death.

The

time interval between the

initiating condition

(i.e., proximate cause of death) and the

actual death

of the individual (i.e., immediate cause) may be

brief or

prolonged.

If

the time interval is prolonged, sequelae (e.g

., pulmonary

emboli or bronchopneumonia) may develop

that can

be directly or indirectly due to the initiating

condition and

are termed intermediate cause(s) of death

Examples of causes of death

− Coronary artery atherosclerosis

− Blunt force injury of head

− Gunshot wound of head

− Hanging

Mechanism of Death

Physiologic derangement or biochemical disturbance

initiated by

the cause of death that is incompatible with life;

♦

Examples of mechanism of death

− Ventricular

fibrillation

− Respiratory arrest

−

Exsanguination

- Asphyxiation

Manner of Death

Circumstances in which the cause of death

arose

There are

five

manners of death in most jurisdictions,

which can

be separated into three general categories:

− Natural

− Unnatural, which includes homicide, suicide, and accident

−

Undetermined/uncertain

;

when the manner of death is

undetermined, there

are two or more possible competing

manners of

death (e.g., homicide versus suicide), and one

of the

possible competing manners of death may be natural

JUDICIARY SYSTEM IN UGANDA

The main functions of the Judiciary are to:

Administer

justice through resolving disputes between Citizen and

Citizen and

between the State and Citizen;

Interpret

the Constitution and the laws of Uganda;

Promote

the rule of law and to contribute to the maintenance

o order in society

;

Safeguard

the Constitution and uphold democratic principles;

Protect

human rights of individuals and groups

Court structure

The Supreme Court

is the final court of appeal and constitutional court. It is presided over by the chief justice and comprises no fewer than ten

judges.

The

Court of

Appeal/constitutional court

hears appeals from the High

Court

which is presided by the Deputy

C

hief Justice

The

High Court

has unlimited jurisdiction in all branches of the law (civil, commercial, family, land, criminal, anti-corruption, international crimes, and execution and bailiffs- Honourable Principal

Judge

The

magistrates’ courts

have limited jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases. Appeals arising from the magistrates’ courts are heard by the High

Court;

There are three levels of Magistrates courts:

Chief Magistrates

, Magistrates Grade I and Magistrates Grade II.