Biomedical subjects

L Althaus

Publications and source records attributed to L Althaus.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Cooling experiments using dummies covered by leaves.

One main method to estimate the time of death is the measurement of the body temperature. The cooling of a corpse depends on a number of conditions including the surroundings. In cases where the cooling conditions differ from the defined standard, a corrective factor is used to characterise the influence of clothing, air movement, the properties of the supporting base and the humidity. Nothing is known about the significance of other circumstances, for example of a tegument by leaves or wet leaves. Therefore, the cooling of dummies which were placed on a 2-cm-thick layer of wet/dry leaves and covered by a 10-cm-thick layer of leaves was investigated. Corrective factors of 1.0 for wet leaves on the ground and of 1.3 and 1.5 for drier leaves were found. If the dummies were additionally covered, corrective factors ranged between 1.8 and 2.7.

Autopsy↗

PubMed2003

Criteria for homicide and suicide on victims of extended suicide due to sharp force injury.

This report is about the findings in association with the extended suicides of nine victims killed by sharp force. All victims were killed by sharp force. The perpetrators were predominantly the parents, the victims their children. Regarding the criteria for differentiating self-inflicted injuries from injuries inflicted by another person, the victims' injuries presented patterns usually found solely in suicides. Thus eight of nine cases presented tentative and hesitation injuries, in three of five cases areas of injury covered by clothing had been exposed beforehand. Despite extremely narrow intercostal spaces in children, injuries to the bones in thoracic stabbing were avoided more often than not (four of seven cases). Only the criterion "defence injury" occurred nearly as often as in homicide victims (three of nine cases). The psychopathology of extended suicide can explain this pattern. The perpetrator's motive is characterised by his pseudoaltruistic belief to save the loved ones from a world that is in his opinion unacceptable. A fusion or integration of the victim into the perpetrator's own self is based on an identity problem. Physical interrelation of forces between perpetrator and victim restricts the victim in his defence and presents an important prerequisite for acquiring the patterns of described injuries.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Invasion and distribution of methanol.

After the enzyme systems responsible for methanol oxidation were blocked by ethanol, five test persons were given methanol at a dose of approximately 10 mg/kg weight, once orally and once parenterally. Taking into account the endogenous blood methanol levels detectable before the administration of methanol, C0 concentrations of 11.1-15.9 mg/kg were reached. This corresponds to a distribution volume of approximately 0.77 +/- 0.07 l/kg, which is comparable to the 0.78 +/- 0.09 l/kg obtained for ethanol. After parenterally administering methanol as a bolus, the distribution half-life was on average 8 min (range: 3.8-13.8 min). After oral administration of methanol diluted in 100 ml water on an empty stomach, invasion took place with a half-life of approximately 5 min (3.8-6.9 min). In one case, however, due to vegetative disturbances the invasion half-life was 23.1 min.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMed2000

Experiences with a compound method for estimating the time since death. I. Rectal temperature nomogram for time since death.

The temperature-based nomogram method for estimation of the time period since death was used at the scene of death as the primary method within a compound method in 72 consecutive cases. The situation and cooling conditions inspected and evaluated by the forensic pathologist at the scene are described as far as necessary to enable handling of the method. A comparison of the estimated period since death with the period determined by the police investigations demonstrates the reliability of the method. There were no contradictions in any of the 60 cases between the period of death estimated by this method and that determined by the police investigations. The criminal investigations were effectively supported in the earliest stages in 11 cases despite the fact that the period estimated was of considerable duration.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Experiences with a compound method for estimating the time since death. II. Integration of non-temperature-based methods.

The period since death was estimated at the scene in 72 consecutive cases using the temperature-based nomogram method as the primary method and supplemented by examination of criteria such as lividity, rigor mortis, mechanical and electrical excitability of skeletal muscle and chemical excitability of the iris. A case-oriented, computer-assisted selection of the non-temperature-based methods and integration of the results into a common result of the compound method was made following a special logistic. The limits of the period since death as estimated by the nomogram were improved in 49 cases by including the non-temperature-based methods and also provided results in 4 cases where the temperature method could not be used. In a further 6 cases the non-temperature-based methods confirmed the limits estimated by the temperature method but in 14 cases a useful result could not be obtained. In only one of the cases investigated was the upper limit of the period since death, as estimated by the criterion re-establishment of rigor (8 h post-mortem), in contradiction with the period determined by the police investigations (9.4 h post-mortem).

Autopsy↗

PubMed1999

Rectal temperature time of death nomogram: sudden change of ambient temperature.

Cooling experiments on dummies known as body-like cooling were performed with sudden decrease and increase of ambient temperature in the order of 15 degrees C. In the case of a sudden decrease of ambient temperature, a second 'temperature plateau' occurs which is shorter than the known plateau at the beginning of body cooling. The cooling curves can be described mathematically by a three-step procedure based on the two-exponential term of the 'nomogram method'. The second plateau at the beginning of the second cooling phase in sudden decreased ambient temperature requires a lower value of the constant A (1.15) compared with the known value (1.25) at the beginning of body cooling. In the case of a sudden increase of ambient temperature in the order of 15 degrees C no procedure could be found to model the cooling curves mathematically.

Air↗