Britta Bockholdt

Suicide through doxylamine poisoning.

Doxylamine is an antihistamine of the ethanolamine class. It is used primarily as a sleep-inducing agent. Only a few reports can be found in the literature about lethal intoxications with doxylamine, but many with combined intoxications. Doxylamine is, aside from diphenhydramine, the only chemically defined active ingredient in some sleeping medications which is available without a prescription in the Federal Republic of Germany. Two cases of doxylamine poisoning are presented, in which high doxylamine concentrations were found in the blood and organs.

Blunt Criterion trauma model for head and chest injury risk assessment of cal. 380 R and cal. 22 long blank cartridge actuated gundog retrieval devices

BACKGROUND Blunt ballistic impact trauma is a current research topic due to the widespread use of kinetic energy munitions in law enforcement. In the civilian setting, an automatic dummy launcher has recently been identified as source of blunt impact trauma. However, there is no data on the injury risk of conventional dummy launchers. It is the aim of this investigation to predict potential impact injury to the human head and chest on the basis of the Blunt Criterion which is an energy based blunt trauma model to assess vulnerability to blunt weapons, projectile impacts, and behind-armor-exposures. METHODS Based on experimentally investigated kinetic parameters, the injury risk of two commercially available gundog retrieval devices (Waidwerk Telebock, Germany; Turner Richards, United Kingdom) was assessed using the Blunt Criterion trauma model for blunt ballistic impact trauma to the head and chest. RESULTS Assessing chest impact, the Blunt Criterion values for both shooting devices were higher than the critical Blunt Criterion value of 0.37, which represents a 50% risk of sustaining a thoracic skeletal injury of AIS 2 (moderate injury) or AIS 3 (serious injury). The maximum Blunt Criterion value (1.106) was higher than the Blunt Criterion value corresponding to AIS 4 (severe injury). With regard to the impact injury risk to the head, both devices surpass by far the critical Blunt Criterion value of 1.61, which represents a 50% risk of skull fracture. Highest Blunt Criterion values were measured for the Turner Richards Launcher (2.884) corresponding to a risk of skull fracture of higher than 80%. CONCLUSION Even though the classification as non-guns by legal authorities might implicate harmlessness, the Blunt Criterion trauma model illustrates the hazardous potential of these shooting devices. The Blunt Criterion trauma model links the laboratory findings to the impact injury patterns of the head and chest that might be expected.

When backyard fun turns to trauma: risk assessment of blunt ballistic impact trauma due to potato cannons.

Although potato cannons are an area of great interest among internet users, they are almost completely unknown in the medical community. These simple ballistic devices are made from plastic plumbing pipes and are powered with propellant gas from aerosol cans. By combustion of the gas–oxygen mixture, a high pressure is produced which propels the potato chunks through the barrel. It is the aim of this study to investigate the hazardous potential of these shooting devices. Test shots were performed using three illegally manufactured potato cannons that were confiscated by police authorities. Velocity, impulse, kinetic energy, and energy density were calculated. The risk of head and chest injuries was investigated by using Sturdivans Blunt Criterion (BC), an energy based five parametric trauma model assessing the vulnerability to blunt weapons, projectile impacts, and behind-body-armor exposures. The probability of lethality due to blunt impact trauma to the chest was assessed using Sturdivans lethality model. For potential head impacts, all test shots far exceeded the critical BC (head) value which corresponds to a 50% risk of skull fracture. The risk of injury with regard to chest impacts was similar. All but two test shots far exceeded the critical BC (chest) value corresponding to a 50% risk of sustaining a thoracic skeletal injury of Abbreviated Injury Scale 2 or 3. The probability of a lethal injury due to blunt chest impact was as high as 20%. To conclude, this work demonstrates that potato cannons should be considered dangerous weapons rather than as toys used by adventurous adolescents.

Ballistic parameters of cal. 9 mm × 17 mm industrial blank cartridges (cattle cartridges)

INTRODUCTION Cal. 9 mm x 17 mm industrial blank cartridges deserve special interest in the field of forensic ballistic. This calibre is most often used in Kerner-type livestock stunners, but also in different power tools. The legal framework of these industrial blank cartridges is provided by the C.I.P. and DIN 7260 regulations. The aim of this investigation is to describe and compare two experimental test procedures for measurement of maximum gas pressure and kinetic energy of cal. 9 mm x 17 mm industrial blank cartridges according to standardized C.I.P. and DIN 7260 protocols and to provide these ballistic data. METHODS Using two different pressure measurement barrels and standardized test projectiles, the maximum gas pressure and the kinetic energy of the test projectiles are investigated. While the pressure take-off point in C.I.P. protocol is at the cartridge mouth, the DIN 7260 protocol is modified using a pressure take-off point in the cartridge chamber. For each test protocol (C.I.P. and DIN), maximum gas pressure, velocity, impulse and energy of the test projectiles are measured. Each ten cartridges from the same ammunition lot of four different energy levels (red, blue, yellow, green) are investigated. RESULTS While the cartridge energy values are comparable between the two different test protocols, maximum gas pressure measured in the DIN set-up (3907 bar) far surpasses the gas pressure in the C.I.P. protocol (1586 bar). Both test protocols observed higher energy values of the green and yellow cartridges than regulated in DIN 7260. CONCLUSION Enormous gas pressure values of more than 3900 bar emphasize the power of industrial blank cartridges. Once again, the harmlessness of these blank cartridges and the weapons/tools that are operated with these propellants is refuted.