Vivek Sharma

Kitchen accidents vis-a-vis dowry deaths

The practice of dowry has social acceptance as a part of normal marriage procedures in India. It has become a social symbol indicating status of both parties. Sadly, awareness and education, particularly of younger people and women, has not helped to ease the situation. In fact, families of people who are better educated, more qualified with foreign degrees, etc. have often demanded or given more dowry. The steady increase in the incidence of deaths due to burns in the recent years, particularly involving females, is a matter of great concern to the concerned individual, social workers and scientists, and the law enforcing agencies, in particular. The main cause of concern is the fact that newly married females constitute the majority of such deaths, although, in Indian society, females (housewives) belonging to all age groups have to work in the kitchen. The increase in burn deaths among females suggests clearly that such deaths can not always be attributed to household accidents occurring in the kitchen and may be linked with bride burning or dowry deaths.

Road-traffic accidents--a demographic and topographic analysis

Injuries and fatalities occur in all forms of transportation, but numerically, road-traffic accidents account for the great majority worldwide. There is little that the autopsy surgeon can contribute to the elucidation of factors leading to the accident as it is largely the circumstantial and forensic laboratory evidence which is likely to reveal a non-accidental cause. However, the doctors role in detecting the compatibility/incompatibility of the injuries with those usually sustained in traffic accidents (to detect any which are ‘atypical’, e.g. focal depressed fracture of the skull), distinguishing antemortem from postmortem injuries, demonstrating the presence of any disease capable of creating sudden incapacity and analysing samples for alcohol/drugs, etc., can go a long way in assigning roles to the human and to some extent vehicular and environmental factors. This warrants that a meticulous autopsy be conducted and not merely a catalogue of injuries. It must be appreciated that a fatal accident is likely to result in litigation and the extent of litigation cannot be anticipated at the time of the autopsy. One must, therefore, aim at the close study of any accident victim and a careful assessment of the case is always rewarding. The present study was undertaken in the Department of Forensic Medicine at (a) Government Medical College, Jammu (1991–93), (b) Mulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi (1993–95) and (c) Government Medical College, Chandigarh (1994–June 2000), with the object of doing a comparative analysis of the various aspects of the road-traffic accidents and accidental deaths in three topographically and demographically different cities in India and to suggest remedial measures to bring down the accident rate.

Poisoning in Northern India: Changing Trends, Causes and Prevention Thereof

A twenty-one years retrospective study (1980–2000) of acute poisoning deaths carried out at the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at Government Medical College Hospital, Jammu and Govt. Medical College Hospital, Chandigarh — the two demographically different zones of Northern India. Union Territory of Chandigarh, which is the capital of Punjab and Haryana states, is one of the most developed parts of India, whereas Jammu primarily represents the rural India. The study is an attempt to analyze the various changing trends in acute poisoning in these zones with the aim that it will help immensely the health policy-makers to equip health care institutions accordingly. The present study reveals a steep increase in the number of acute poisoning cases and a change in the trends of the most commonly used poisons with the passage of time. Males outnumbered females and youth formed the majority of fatalities. The main victims were unemployed youth and students, followed by agricultural and domestic workers. Despite Indias predominantly rural character, the urban preponderance of deaths by poisoning may reflect the role of leading a more stressful life in urban areas.

Suicides in Northern India: Causes, methods used and prevention

Suicide patterns and rates differ in various populations and cultures. It has been reported that developing countries have lower suicide rates, possibly because of a lower level of environmental stress but the Indians have a very high suicide rate (Elfawal, 1999). The choice of method used to commit suicide depends on availability of means, knowledge about lethal effectiveness, and the victims motivation and intent. The present work was designed to investigate the different methods of self-destruction, the age and gender susceptibility to suicide, the groups particularly affected and the underlying motivating factor for such an extreme step among the North Indians. Various suggestions relating to decreasing the tensions of the modern mechanical life-style, educating the public in general and the availability, use and storage of agrochemicals have been put forward. Marriage counselling and the concept of family planning are also advocated.

Endodontic management of mandibular third molar with three mesial roots using spiral computed tomography scan as a diagnostic aid: a case report

Aberrant root canal anatomy is diagnostically and clinically challenging for clinicians. The most common root canal configuration of human molars is 2 roots and 3 canals, but various combinations may still exist. Third molars are known to have the most unusual anatomy among human teeth. Restorative, prosthetic, and orthodontic considerations often require endodontic treatment of third molars in order for them to be retained as functional components of the dental arch. The present case report demonstrates unusual root canal morphology of the mandibular third molar. Roentgenographic examination, which included spiral CT scan, revealed 3 separate mesial roots in tooth #48 with 3 independent canals and 3 canal orifices, indicating an endodontic rarity. The present case report puts impetus on exploration of additional canals using advanced diagnostic aids, such as spiral computed tomography, which can have a huge impact on the successful outcome of endodontic therapy.