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Bernardi C, Nogueira L, Orange F, Carle GF, Alunni V, Quatrehomme G. The stereomicroscope and scanning electron microscope comparison of false starts bones produced by an oscillating autopsy saw. Forensic Sci Int 2021; 324:110816. [PMID: 34030001 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.110816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
In forensic anthropology, saw mark analysis plays an important role in cases of criminal dismemberment. Autopsy saw is not used by the perpetrator in cases of dismemberment, but the forensic pathologist may accidentally create false starts with this saw during an autopsy, especially while sampling bones for further analysis, and these autopsy false starts can be confused with false starts produced by the offender. In this study, the characteristics of 20 false starts were compared using stereomicroscopy (SM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). These bone false starts were selected at random from a previous study of 100 false starts created by an electrical oscillating autopsy saw on human femoral bones. That study had enabled the categorization of the lesions into two groups ("superficial group" and "deep group") with a 0.52 mm depth cut off, based on the dramatic differences in lesion characteristics between these two groups. In the current study, SEM confirmed the characteristics of the false starts (walls and profile shapes, striae, bone islands and bone debris were studied), and above all explained the mechanism whereby oval bone islands in deep lesions are formed. Bone islands are due to the horizontal and vertical movement of the oscillating autopsy blade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Bernardi
- Institut Universitaire d'Anthropologie Médico-Légale, Faculté de Médecine, Université Côte d'Azur, 28 Avenue de Valombrose, 06107 Nice Cedex 2, France; CEPAM (UMR CNRS 7264), 24 Av. des Diables Bleus, 06300 Nice, France.
| | - Luísa Nogueira
- Institut Universitaire d'Anthropologie Médico-Légale, Faculté de Médecine, Université Côte d'Azur, 28 Avenue de Valombrose, 06107 Nice Cedex 2, France
| | - François Orange
- Centre Commun de Microscopie Appliquée (CCMA), Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, Parc Valrose, 28 Avenue Valrose, 06108 Nice Cedex 2, France
| | - Georges F Carle
- UMR E4320 TIRO-MATOs CEA/DRF/Institut Joliot, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
| | - Véronique Alunni
- Institut Universitaire d'Anthropologie Médico-Légale, Faculté de Médecine, Université Côte d'Azur, 28 Avenue de Valombrose, 06107 Nice Cedex 2, France; CEPAM (UMR CNRS 7264), 24 Av. des Diables Bleus, 06300 Nice, France
| | - Gérald Quatrehomme
- Institut Universitaire d'Anthropologie Médico-Légale, Faculté de Médecine, Université Côte d'Azur, 28 Avenue de Valombrose, 06107 Nice Cedex 2, France; CEPAM (UMR CNRS 7264), 24 Av. des Diables Bleus, 06300 Nice, France
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