Tsokos M, Türk E E, Madea B, Koops E, Longauer F, Szabo M, Huckenbeck W, Gabriel P, Barz J
Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Hamburg, Butenfeld 34, 22529 Hamburg, Germany.
Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2003 Mar;24(1):55-63. doi: 10.1097/01.PAF.0000052752.18930.44.
Suicidal explosions that lack a terrorist background are only rarely encountered in the field of forensic pathology. The investigation of explosion-related fatalities can be a substantial challenge in medicolegal casework. Determining whether the manner of death is suicide, homicide, or accident in such cases can present an especially difficult task to the forensic pathologist. This study considers the pathologic features of suicidal deaths caused by explosives without a terrorist background. The modus operandi of the decedents reflected familiarity and proficiency, or at least a degree of specialized knowledge, with the construction and use of explosive devices. All explosions were set off in confined spaces. The injury patterns consisted of a combination of primary blast injuries (e.g. decapitation, traumatic amputation of limbs, gross lacerations of the body surface, blast injuries of gas-containing and hollow organs), secondary blast injuries (e.g. splinter-induced penetrating trauma), tertiary blast injuries (e.g. abrasions and contusions), and burn injuries (mostly of the flash type). The previously described symmetric distribution pattern of injuries in suicidal explosions was apparent only to a certain degree in the present series. Our observation of superficially sharp-edged wound margins with bridging in the depths of the lesion in blast-induced lacerations of the skin should deserve further attention in forthcoming cases of explosion-related fatalities because this finding is a diagnostic possibility that may support the theory of an explosion-related fatality under special circumstances, e.g. when the body has been dumped away from the place of death. Because a terrorist attack may be initially suspected in each case of suicide involving explosives, the importance of a joint inquiry based on expertise from police investigators, bomb experts, and forensic pathologists is evident.
在法医病理学领域，缺乏恐怖主义背景的自杀式爆炸事件极为罕见。在法医学案件工作中，对与爆炸相关的死亡事件进行调查可能是一项重大挑战。在此类案件中，确定死亡方式是自杀、他杀还是意外，对法医病理学家来说可能是一项特别艰巨的任务。本研究探讨了无恐怖主义背景的爆炸导致的自杀死亡的病理特征。死者的作案手法反映出其对爆炸装置的构造和使用熟悉且熟练，或者至少具备一定程度的专业知识。所有爆炸均在密闭空间内引发。损伤模式包括原发性爆炸伤（如斩首、肢体外伤性截肢、体表严重撕裂伤、含气和中空器官的爆炸伤）、继发性爆炸伤（如碎片导致的穿透伤）、三级爆炸伤（如擦伤和挫伤）以及烧伤（主要是闪燃型）。先前描述的自杀式爆炸中损伤的对称分布模式在本系列中仅在一定程度上明显。我们观察到，在爆炸导致的皮肤撕裂伤中，损伤边缘表面锐利，在病变深处有桥接现象，这一发现值得在未来与爆炸相关的死亡案件中进一步关注，因为这一发现可能支持在特殊情况下（例如尸体被弃于死亡地点之外）与爆炸相关的死亡理论。由于在每起涉及爆炸物的自杀案件中最初都可能怀疑是恐怖袭击，基于警方调查人员、炸弹专家和法医病理学家的专业知识进行联合调查的重要性不言而喻。
