Objectives: Hanging is a common cause of death worldwide as well as a method of suicide with a high fatality rate, In this retrospective study, data were obtained from cases of hanging reported to Department of Forensic Medicine at the province of Basrah, Iraq, in order to analyze the characteristics of hanging, to focus on its distribution by gender, age groups, marital status, the place of occurrence of the incident, ligature types used, autopsy findings and manner of death, and to determine the possible causes of hanging fatalities over the period of the study, in addition to various other associated factors with the aim to find out which individuals are more prone to death by hanging and to explore the potential control and preventive measures. Methodology: Over a period of seven years, from January 2010 to December 2016. data from autopsy reports, together with information from police investigation reports and history obtained from relatives were used in this study. Results: A total of 184 forensic autopsies were conducted on cases of death due to hanging during the period of the study. The highest proportion of hanging cases was suicidal in nature (86%). Twenty eight percent of the suicidal hanging victims were in their 3 rd decade of life, and the incidence rate of hanging among female and male victims was almost equal, female to male ratio was 1.1:1. Conclusion: Hanging is a common cause of suicide in our society, especially among young individuals. Prevention of death by hanging is not easy since different types of materials can be used as a ligature.

Background: Burns are injuries to the skin that might be caused by high temperatures, chemicals or different other mechanisms. In Iraq and other developing countries, burns represent an important health problem with many effects on life causing morbidity and mortality, and exert many consequences including disability, psychological impact and financial loss. The aim of this study was to explore the demographics and types of burns, factors associated with burn fatalities, and to evaluate the magnitude of this problem with focusing on causes and manner of thermal deaths among the victims. Methods: Data were collected retrospectively from autopsies of burn-related deaths reported to Department of Forensic Medicine in Basrah province, southern part of Iraq during a period of 4 years from 1 st of January 2013 to 31 st of December 2016, along with information retrieved from hospital records, history and information from close relatives. Results: Out of total of 4244 autopsies conducted during that period, 373 of them were burn-related deaths. The majority of the victims were females (75%). Most of the injuries (89%) were caused by flame. The commonest age group involved in both males and females was (20-29) years. Suicidal burns constituted 62%, and the higher proportion was seen among females. Domestic problems along with psychiatric illnesses were the main factors associated with self-inflicted burns. Conclusion: Burning deaths represent a large proportion among the overall unnatural deaths in Basrah city, the higher proportion of burn-related deaths was observed in females, and among suicidal burn deaths, females constituted more than ninety percent.