[The application of forensic medical knowledge for the reconstruction of historical events]

[Features of detection and interpretation of intravital and postmortem changes according to the results of traditional X-ray and X-ray computed tomography of objects from historical graves and artefacts]

OBJECTIVE

To study emergence mechanism, physical nature, pattern of intravital and postmortem changes of biological and non-biological objects originated in the period from 1550 to 1918 yr. using traditional X-ray and X-ray computed tomography.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The relics of Saint Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, the remains of the First Reverend of the Resurrection Novodevichy Convent in Saint Petersburg Mother Superior Theophania, damages on the chair leg on which Tsesarevich Alexey sat during the shooting of Russian Emperor Nicholas II, his family and entourage in 1918 in Yekaterinburg were stidued.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

The application of highly informative methods of traditional X-ray and X-ray computed tomography of biological and non-biological objects showed their high informativity and allowed to correctly interpret the emergence mechanism, physical nature, pattern of intravital and postmortem changes of skeleton bones and historical artefact (chair legs) originated long ago. The necessity of special professional training and advanced training of experts in forensic radiology to prevent possible diagnostic and expert errors has been substantiated.

[Death of Pyotr Stolypin: forensic medical aspects]

The article continues the cycle of scientific research devoted to the reconstruction of the tragic events of Russian history by the methods of forensic medical examination. The archival data of the criminal case on the murder in Kiev in 1911 of the Prime Minister of Russia P.A. Stolypin has been published in the scientific literature first time. Formulation a forensic diagnosis and reconstruction of the posture of the victim were done based on comparison of the data from the inspection of the scene, the characteristics of the firearms and the results of the examination of the body. The obtained data arguably disprove the positions of the victim and the killer, which are generally accepted in journalism and artworks.

[The Grand Prince G.A. Romanov and the diagnostic capabilities of XIX century medicine]

This article is devoted to the medical aspects of the biography of the Grand Prince Georgiy Romanov, the younger brother of Nikolas II, the Russian Emperor. It reports the results of the analysis of the formerly unpublished documents stored in the funds of the Russian State Historical Archive (RGIA). The authors present the data characterizing the level of medical care provided to the patients in Russia of that time. In addition, they describe the specific morphological patterns of pulmonary tuberculosis which affected the Crown Prince and became the cause of his death.

[The peculiarities of preservation of the soft tissues and bone structures under the conditions of prolonged corpse deposition in the high-latitude cryolitic zone (the island Bely near the Kara Sea coast)]

The objective of the present work was the primary forensic medical/medical criminalistic study of exhumed human remains with the determination of the main group characteristics for the purpose of evaluation of the degree of preservation of the soft tissues and bone structures under the conditions of prolonged corpse deposition in the high-latitude cryolitic zone. The materials available for the study consisted of the exhumed remains of 13 corpses. The author describes the transformed features of the soft tissues and bone structures. The former look like a grave wax. It is shown that the peculiar morphological features of the preserved soft tissues and bone structures depend on the burial depth and the characteristic natural factors of the high-latitude cryolitic zone. The main conditions influencing the state of the objects for the forensic medical expertise are considered including prescription of corpse burying, ground properties, freeze/thaw cycles, the influence of sea water, and microbiological factors.