The distinction between perimortem and postmortem fractures is an important challenge for forensic anthropology. Such a crucial task is presently based on macro-morphological criteria widely accepted in the scientific community. However, several limits affect these parameters which have not yet been investigated thoroughly. This study aims at highlighting the pitfalls and errors in evaluating perimortem or postmortem fractures. Two trained forensic anthropologists were asked to classify 210 fractures of known origin in four skeletons (three victims of blunt force trauma and one natural death) as perimortem, postmortem, or dubious, twice in 6 months in order to assess intraobserver error also. Results show large errors, ranging from 14.8 to 37% for perimortem fractures and from 5.5 to 14.8% for postmortem ones; more than 80% of errors concerned trabecular bone. This supports the need for more objective and reliable criteria for a correct assessment of peri- and postmortem bone fractures.

The research and analysis of gunshot residues has a relevant role in the examination of gunshot wounds. Nevertheless, very little literature exists concerning gunshot wounds on charred material. In this study, 16 adult bovine ribs (eight still with soft tissues and eight totally skeletonized) underwent a shooting test with two types of projectiles (9 mm full metal-jacketed bullet and 9 mm unjacketed bullet). Each rib then underwent a charring process in an electric oven, reaching the stage of complete calcination at 800°C. The area of each entrance wound was analyzed before and after the carbonization process via a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (EDX). In each sample, metallic residues composed of lead, barium, and antimony were found. These metallic residues were thus preserved also after exposure to the extremely high temperatures reached within the oven, especially with unjacketed bullets, although the particles seem to be more irregular in shape as a result of the heating process. In conclusion, this study proved that gunshot residues survive extremely high temperatures and can be detected via SEM/EDX even in cases of charred tissues.

In the past five years, several scientific articles have claimed that the increase some countries have registered in suicide rates since 2008 is somehow related to the economic crisis. Other research has suggested that the impact of specific economic problems on the probability of suicidal behavior is often mediated by other individual-level factors, mainly psychological and physical, whose negative influence is exacerbated by reductions in the availability of health and social care during an economic crisis. On the basis of almost 1,000 cases of suicide collected by the Institute of Forensic Medicine in the province of Milan, this article aims at testing whether suicidal probability during an economic crisis is influenced by the interaction between an individual’s employment status and the presence of psychological or physical disease. Using a binary logistic regression model, this article demonstrates that the likelihood of suicide during an economic crisis is three times higher for persons affected by a severe disease, either physical or psychological, than for people who are not affected (OR = 3.156; 95% CI = 1.066–9.339; p = 0.38). Neither employment status nor the interaction between employment status and health status contributed to the difference between the suicide rate before and during the economic crisis.

No abstract

Inspection of a crime scene is a crucial step in forensic medicine, and even the methods taught by forensic anthropology are essential. Whereas a thorough inspection can provide crucial information, an approximate inspection can be useless or even harmful. This study reports 3 cases of burnt bodies found inside vehicles between 2006 and 2009 in the outskirts of Milan (Italy). In all 3 cases, the victim was killed by gunshot, and the body was burnt in the vehicle to destroy signs of skeletal injury and prevent identification. In every case, the assistance of forensic anthropologists was requested, but only after the inspection of the body at autopsy showed that the remains were incomplete, thus making it more difficult to determine the identity, cause, and manner of death. A second scene of crime inspection was therefore performed with strict anthropological and adapted archeological methods by forensic anthropologists to perform a more complete recovery, proving how much material had been left behind. These cases clearly show the importance of a proper recovery and of the application of forensic anthropology methods on badly charred bodies and the importance of recovering every fragment of bone: even the smallest fragment can provide essential information. Thus, a precise coordination, a correct and thorough recovery of bone fragments, and an anthropological approach are crucial for many issues: analysis of the scene of crime, reconstruction of the corpse, and reconstruction of the perimortem events.