Study notes

Instructive versus selective theories of immunity

Definitions and classification of injuries

Mechanical injury: energy transfer and tissue deformation

Factors determining wound severity: contact area, energy and immobilization

Mechanical injury: responses of skin, soft tissues, bone and body fluids

Wound severity, forensic interpretation and the definition of abrasion

Abrasions: mechanism, depth, scab formation and scratches

Fingernail mark distortion, grazes and friction burns

Pressure, impact and patterned abrasions

Patterned abrasions and the sequence of abrasion healing

Recognition and limitations of postmortem abrasion assessment

Interpretation of abrasion distribution and recognition of ant erosions

Contusions: mechanism, location and characteristic features

Bruise appearance and factors affecting size and visibility

Sex, body habitus and visibility of bruising

Disease-related bruising and migration of extravasated blood

Patterned contusions and the effect of impact

Bruise shape after impact by solid objects and sticks

Patterned contusions and delayed bruising

Mechanisms and identifying patterns of weapon-related bruises

Postmortem changes in bruises and consequences of organ contusions

Bruise healing and the sequence of colour changes

Limitations of bruise dating and evidence of antemortem injury

Production of small bruises shortly after death

Autopsy demonstration of bruises and effects of decomposition

Bruise distribution and differentiation from hypostasis

Medicolegal limitations, complications and circumstances of bruising

Lacerations: definition and associated injury observations

Lacerations: formation, wound margins and descriptive terms

Split, stretch and avulsion lacerations

Avulsion, tears and concealed blunt-force injury

Laceration edges and swallow tails

Lacerations: directional signs, tissue bridges, bleeding and vitality

Lacerations: complications, circumstances and associated blunt injuries

Kicking injuries and the mechanism and margins of incised wounds

Incised wounds: length, interrupted cuts, shape and gaping

Incised wounds: surface effects, bleeding and direction of cutting

Incised wound healing, second intention and wounds caused by glass

Self-inflicted incised wounds and hesitation marks

Suicidal and homicidal cut-throat wounds