Taşkın Özdeş

Accidental deaths by hanging among children in Istanbul, Turkey: retrospective analysis of medicolegal autopsies in 33 years

AbstractHanging is a type of strangulation by means of rope or any other similar material. This kind of ligature strangulation occurs by weight of the body dragging due to gravity and applying force to the neck. Hanging almost never occurs by accident, but occurs mostly as a way to commit suicide.A total number of 82,871 autopsies were performed in the Council of Forensic Medicine of the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Justice (Istanbul) between 1979 and 2012, and 4500 (5.43%) of these deaths occurred as a result of hanging. Thirteen of these reported cases have been observed and resulted in death occurring by accident. Seven of these victims were males, and 6 of them were females. Examination of their ages revealed that 3 of these victims were aged 1 year, and 3 victims were aged 6 years. The oldest victim was aged 13 years, and the youngest one was aged 1 year. It has been recorded that 8 of the deaths occurred with rope, 2 with sweater, 2 with scarf, 1 with belt, and 1 with tights. Investigation of the incidents revealed that 3 of the cases occurred by tangling in a rope swing and 2 with a head scarf. Ligature marks on the neck from aforementioned materials and ecchymosis on soft tissue were observed on all of the victims, and the thyroid cartilages and cervical vertebrae were intact. No substance was found in the toxicological analysis performed on all victims.In conclusion, our study showed that although accidental death by hanging took place rarely in these ages, all of the victims were between the ages of 1 and 13 years who recently started walking and entering their teenage years. It is important not to leave the children at home or in the playgrounds alone for a long time (unsupervised at home or in the playgrounds). Precautionary measures must be taken against danger, and the design of materials manufactured for this age group must be reconsidered.

Evidence for an association between suicide and religion: a 33-year retrospective autopsy analysis of suicide by hanging during the month of Ramadan in Istanbul

This study was undertaken to examine the effect of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan on the number of suicides in order to assess whether religious faith is associated with a decreased number of suicides during that period. In this retrospective study, a total number of 82,871 autopsies have been performed in the Morgue Department of the Council of Forensic Medicine (Istanbul) of the Ministry of Justice between 1978 and 2012, 33 years. For the study purposes, the earlier start of Islamic calendar months (i.e. 10 or 11 days earlier each year) compared with the Gregorian calendar was taken into account and file details such as crime scene investigation reports, information obtained from the police, and autopsy results were assessed. Of the 4315 suicide cases, 267 were reported during Ramadan, while 4048 were recorded during other months. Of the 33 years examined, only five Ramadan months exhibited a suicide rate above the annual average and there was a significantly lower (p = 0.042) incidence of suicides during Ramadan. Suicide by hanging is less frequent during Ramadan compared with non-Ramadan months, probably reflecting a positive spiritual influence of this period on Muslims.