Question about head wounds (not for the faint of stomach)

[Dreamer]

Saw an episode of CSI the other week where a man was bludgeoned to death, and according to the improbably glossy-haired and manicured pathologist, the only way of determining the weapon used was to remove the head, boil it for several hours until all the flesh fell off, and then make a latex impression of the holes in the skull.

Now, I have absolute faith in the factual integrity of anything Jerry Bruckheimer produces, but surely that can't be right?

Surely hundreds of people must get their heads bashed in each year. Do they all have their heads casseroled?

What do relatives say when they come to claim the body and are presented with a decapitated corpse and a comedy 'Alas, poor Yorick' skull?

And don't they have open casket funerals in the US?

Can anyone enlighten me?

Denise

[Doc Iain]

Having seen many head wounds at work...it is often very hard to determine the cause of the wound.
The layers of the scalp are incredidbly vascular and so when injured there is plenty of blood to rush into the wound and clot, and to supply fluid to the area to allow it to swell. As such in the acute setting (and where there is no skull fracture) the soft tissues are very swollen, and even more swollen when there is a fracture/break.
If the skin layer is broken it bleeds a hell of a lot and depending on the sharp/blunt nature will present as a cut (they seem to have fairly clear edges... i guess because of the tension on the scalp) or as a masserated area of tissue which are harder to stitch!. (ie. a fall onto the edge of a step... or onto a concrete floor produce differnt results.)
As far as skull injuries (ie bony) are concerned... have not seen enough to comment!
However in both I can only talk about the acute setting though, not being a forensic pathologist!...

[TheTramp]

Ask me again this time next year. Provided I manage to get good enough results to get onto the forensics course!

[thewacko]

Originally Posted by BigHeadedBeginner

Saw an episode of CSI the other week where a man was bludgeoned to death, and according to the improbably glossy-haired and manicured pathologist, the only way of determining the weapon used was to remove the head, boil it for several hours until all the flesh fell off, and then make a latex impression of the holes in the skull.

Now, I have absolute faith in the factual integrity of anything Jerry Bruckheimer produces, but surely that can't be right?

Surely hundreds of people must get their heads bashed in each year. Do they all have their heads casseroled?

What do relatives say when they come to claim the body and are presented with a decapitated corpse and a comedy 'Alas, poor Yorick' skull?

And don't they have open casket funerals in the US?

Can anyone enlighten me?

Denise

more to the point what if you dont die, and get hit from behind, fall down unconciuos (can't spell that before all you dictionaryites start attacking me)

what do the police do then to find out what sort of instrument you were hit with -
Cant go round the rest of your life with a casserolled head can yer huh

[Dreamer]

Originally Posted by thewacko

more to the point what if you dont die...what do the police do then to find out what sort of instrument you were hit with

I don't know about you, but given the alternative, I think I'd be happy to live in ignorance on that score!

Thanks for your reply Doc Iain, it's very informative, and interestingly still no alternative to the head soup scenario.

TheTramp, you're planning to start a forensics course? I've not met you, but I'm picturing:

gary_dourdan_4.jpg

ge_6.jpg

[philsmove]

Originally Posted by BigHeadedBeginner

What do relatives say when they come to claim the body
Denise

They may employ the services of a professional funeral director
Who will help and advise them

But as I mentioned in another thread, this is a dance forum

[WittyBird]

Originally Posted by BigHeadedBeginner

TheTramp, you're planning to start a forensics course? I've not met you, but I'm picturing:

Hey your spot on
Trampy is a cross between Vin Diesel and Brad Pitt to be honest

[TheTramp]

Originally Posted by WittyBird

Trampy is a cross between Vin Diesel and Brad Pitt to be honest

With a hefty dose of Christopher Biggins thrown in

I'm a law student, about to specialise in criminal law. Trying to get onto the forensic medicine module (need to be in about the top 20% of the class to achieve that )

[Andy McGregor]

Originally Posted by TheTramp

(need to be in about the top 20% of the class to achieve that )

You could, of course, take the cowards route to this and study more - rather than my personal route to exam success, which was always the hope/gamble that they'd ask the questions I knew the answers to. My whole exam strategy was always based around guessing what the exam questions were going to be and working out how I was going to answer them - worked sometimes

[Donna]

Originally Posted by TheTramp

With a hefty dose of Christopher Biggins thrown in

I'm a law student, about to specialise in criminal law. Trying to get onto the forensic medicine module (need to be in about the top 20% of the class to achieve that )

After watching CSI I did think about this. Hey good luck with it anyway!