Forensic Medicine

Forensic Medicine

Recent Submissions

  • Bingert, Rebecca; Bremer, Larissa; Buettner, Andreas; Nigbur, Stefan; Blumenthal, Ryan; Zack, Fred (Springer, 2024-07)
    Lethal accidents caused by lightning are divided into observed and unobserved events. Pathognomonic or characteristic findings are often overlooked during external postmortem examination. Classical mistakes may be made ...
  • Blumenthal, Ryan; Rossouw, Servaas Hofmeyr (Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 2023-12)
    The deceased was a 26-year-old man who was killed in a multiple shooting incident while sitting alone in his car. This individual was shot by multiple individuals, with different types of ammunition, from different ...
  • Van Deventer, B.S.; Makhoba, Aubrey Musa; Du Toit-Prinsloo, L.; Van Niekerk, Chantal (Clinics Cardive Publishing, 2022-09)
    Sudden unexpected infant death (SUDI) is reported to be an extraordinarily high burden in sub-Saharan Africa, with the incidence rate in South Africa among the highest in the world. It is common for the cause of many ...
  • Van Deventer, Barbara Stroh (University of Pretoria, 2023)
    Sudden cardiac death is deemed a major global public health concern. In sub-Saharan Africa, including South Africa, there is a lack of reliable statistics on the incidence of SCD, even though a fourfold increase in ...
  • Da Silva, Isabella (University of Pretoria, 2023)
    Mortality data are a cornerstone of public health initiatives and interventions and has been used to implement preventative strategies to reduce the burden of diseases and injuries in society. A subset of mortality data ...
  • Blumenthal, Ryan; Ferraris, Stefanie Claudia (Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2023-09)
    An atypical asphyxial death is presented. The deceased was found wrapped like a mummy with multiple layers of plastic and adhesive tape, lying face down on the floor of his home. The death scene was in the lounge area of ...
  • Van Deventer, Barbara Stroh; Du Toit-Prinsloo, L.; Van Niekerk, Chantal (AOSIS, 2022-06-23)
    BACKGROUND : Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue archives in hospitals, biobanks, and others offer a vast collection of extensive, readily available specimens for molecular testing. Unfortunately, the use of ...
  • Robinson, Liam; Bunn, Belinda Kathleen; Blumenthal, Ryan; Bernitz, Herman (Springer, 2023-01)
    So-called “hypopigmented” bitemark patterns, commonly seen but not limited to dark skinned individuals, can be of value in forensic investigations. The process of aging bitemarks observed on skin is controversial and without ...
  • Blumenthal, Ryan (Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 2022-06)
    A 29-year-old man was involved in a motor vehicle accident as a driver in May 2021. According to the available history, his car overturned and hit a wall. Death was due to head injury. Diffuse brain injury was present. A ...
  • Van Deventer, Barbara Stroh; Du Toit-Prinsloo, Lorraine; Van Niekerk, Chantal (Health and Medical Publishing Group, 2022-12)
    The death of a young person is most often a tragic occurrence, more so when this death was unexpected. Forensic pathologists are mandated to investigate such deaths, and there has been a strong move internationally towards ...
  • Van Deventer, Barbara Stroh; Du Toit-Prinsloo, Lorraine; Van Niekerk, Chantal (Health and Medical Publishing Group, 2022-12)
    Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are ever-increasing, and as such are considered to be one of the most concerning public health burdens worldwide. They remain the leading cause of death across the world (~17.7 million deaths ...
  • Joubert, Doret M.; Rossouw, Servaas Hofmeyr; Solomon, C.; Meyer, Pieter Willem Adriaan (Health and Medical Publishing Group, 2022-11)
    BACKGROUND. The anatomical pathology autopsy serves several purposes, notably as a quality management tool for evaluation of accuracy in clinical diagnosis. Despite its value, for various reasons there has been an ...
  • Van Wyk, Charmaine; Hlaise, Keven Khazamula; Blumenthal, Ryan (Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 2022-12)
    INTRODUCTION : Traumatic diaphragmatic injuries (TDIs) are relatively rare. The forensic literature pertaining to TDIs consists mainly of case studies, suggesting little attention to these injuries during autopsies and ...
  • Weyers, Carmen Zenda; Makhoba, Musa Aubrey; Blumenthal, Ryan (Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 2023-03)
    We present the case of an adult man who was involved in a motor vehicle accident as a driver. Histological examination of the lung tissue showed the presence of brain tissue within the lumens of the bronchi and bronchioles. ...
  • Blumenthal, Ryan; Nixon, Kenneth J.; Gomes, Chandima; Hunt, Hugh Gp (Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 2022-12)
    We report the case of an unusual lightning-related phenomenon. A 41-year-old male construction worker sustained a direct lightning strike, at approximately 16:00 SAST, in mid-November 2021. Scene examination showed a ...
  • Blumenthal, Ryan; Mabotja, Seduma Suzan; Soul, Bathabile (Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 2022)
    We report the case of a 25‐year‐old woman and her 3‐year‐old son who were found dead in the bathtub because of electrocution. The case happened in August, which is winter, in South Africa. An electrical urn used to heat ...
  • Rowbotham, Samantha K.; Blumenthal, Ryan; Delabarde, Tania; Legrand, Laurence; Van der Walt, Elizabeth; Sutherland, Tom; Lockhat, Zarina I.; Arthurs, Owen J. (Elsevier, 2021-06)
    In cases where a deceased child exhibits trauma as a result of a physical abuse blunt impact load, a parent/caregiver may provide a simple short fall (SSF) as the justification for that trauma. The skeletal fractures remain ...
  • Blumenthal, Ryan; Roth, Lisa Barbara (Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 2022-06)
    We report the case of a double suicide in an elderly couple, which occurred during COVID-19 lockdown. According to the son, this was a premeditated death pact, which was carefully planned. The parents had stockpiled fentanyl ...
  • Blumenthal, Ryan; Hoosen, Anwar Ahmed; Skosana, Lebogang Busisiwe; Weyer, Jacqueline (Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 2021-09)
    We present a case of fatal Rickettsiosis from South Africa.
  • Blumenthal, Ryan; Roth, Lisa Barbara (Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 2021-09)
    We report the case of a 45-year old African male, who presented to the Emergency Department with severe metabolic lactic acidosis and confusion secondary to ingestion of methylated spirits. Methylated spirits is a common ...

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