Richard C. Froede

Toxicologic findings in the USS Iowa disaster

The toxicologic results from the 47 victims of the explosion on the USS Iowa are presented. Good correlation between carboxyhemoglobin saturations and cause of death was found. There were no correlations between blood cyanide concentrations and causes of death. Volatile analysis suggested postmortem ethanol production rather than antemortem ethanol ingestion. No drugs except nicotine were detected in any of the victims.

Jurisdiction on military installations.

The death of an individual on a military installation often raises the question of who has the authority to investigate that death and perform an autopsy. The answer to this question depends upon whether jurisdiction is exclusively federal or is shared by the state and federal governments. Jurisdiction can be determined by contacting the installations Directorate of Engineering and Housing or the legal office. When there is exclusive federal jurisdiction, the installation commander or the Armed Forces Medical Examiner may authorize an autopsy on a military member. Under certain conditions, the installation commander may authorize an autopsy on a civilian, especially where a legitimate connection exists between that civilian and the federal government. When jurisdiction is concurrent (that is, shared by the state and federal governments), the civilian medical examiner may waive jurisdiction to the military, but only as to the death of a military member. The authority to investigate the death of a civilian (whether a military dependent or not), to include autopsy examination, is exclusively civilian when jurisdiction is concurrent. Overseas locations are controlled by special agreements that in general, give the U.S. government jurisdiction over military members, their dependents, and U.S. civilian components of the assigned force.

Drugs of abuse: Legal and illegal*

Abstract The drugs of abuse are defined and discussed with special reference to the opiates, morphine and heroin. Combinations of drugs, substitution and adulteration of drugs at street level, and the many varieties of illicit drugs are discussed. Reference is made to a recently completed study on fatal narcotism in military personnel.

Strangulation of pregnant woman leads to one first-degree murder indictment for the death of the mother: a medicolegal reconsideration of maternal/fetal/homicide.

A Hispanic woman, 7¼ to 7½ lunar months pregnant, was strangled to death by her common-law husband. After receiving information from an informant, a reporter uncovered the remains of the woman and fetus in a grave in a river bank near Eloy, Arizona. The remains were submitted by local law enforcement officials to the forensic pathologist for medicolegal examination. After this analysis, they were turned over to the consulting forensic anthropologist for positive identification of the mother and for fetal age determination to assess possible viability. During the 1970s and 1980s, viability for a fetus of this age was thought possible, although not probable. Prosecution of the common-law husband on the charge of first-degree murder of his wife was successful, whereas a comparable charge for the fetus was not sought. Many issues are raised, including gestational age estimation in relation to fetal viability. Fetal age is reassessed by means of measurements from diaphyseal lengths. These measurements allowed for comparability of fetal age estimations between published studies, with discussion of changing dates of fetal viability made possible through technologic advances. Because fetal viability changes with these advances, it is necessary to establish and update the guidelines for medicolegal practice.

Surface Analysis of a Musket Shot Dated Between 1645 and 1655 Found in Historic St. Mary's City, Maryland

A number of large lead musket shot have been found in the Popes fort site at historic St. Marys City in Maryland. These collected shot have been dated to the period from 1645 to 1655 by Dr. Henry Miller. One of these musket shot has an interesting flattened configuration and appears as if it hit a very solid object. The impact surface has been examined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectrophotometry (EDS). The results of these examinations have been compared with examinations of bone and an oyster shell of the same age found at the site. The findings are consistent with the impact site containing sand and probably also bone.

A Review of “Forensic Medicine”

The text of this concise volume attempts to cover all major aspects of forensic pathology and forensic medicine. The book is interesting, fairly timely, and easy to read. It is apparently designed to begin the education of the medical student, attorney, and novice criminal investigator in the rudiments of forensic medicine. In this, the book is quite successful, utilizing, in part, a format of question and answer. This can be particularly useful to a person who is developing a technique or method of investigation for the casual medicolegal case. This is the second edition of this little book that has found its way into my library, and I use it to give to a student to read over several days as a start in the field.