Determining Primortem Trauma in Forsic Pathology and...

There are many factors involved in the determination of perimortem trauma time in both forensic pathology and forensic anthropology. This is critical information when it comes to legal issues or the interpretation of prehistoric bone fractures. There is an extensive difference in fracture properties that depend both on the time that has passed since death, and the type of environment where the specimen has been exposed after death. A study was performed by Luis Coelho and Hugo F.V. Cardoso, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of different environments and the time of exposure in the environment on bone fracture patterns. They are taking a Forensic anthropological approach in which bone tissue quality (whether the bone is dry(postmortem) or fresh (perimortem)), is used, instead of using time intervals relative to the tume of death. The Fractured Freshness Index, which combines fracture angle, fracture surface, and fracture outline as criteria to determine the time of bone fracture, was used along with postmortem interval. Fresh limbs from pig and goat were exposed to three different environments. Seven sets of ten segments of the limbs were either buried, submerged, or left on ground surface. Five segments were pig and five were goat. Each sets were buried within twenty-eight days of the previous. The postmortem intervals were 28, 56, 84, 112, 140, 168, and 196 days. The first set was buried for 196 days and the last set was buried for 28