LEGAL MEDICINE

LEGAL – pertains to law, arising out of or included in law or anything comfortable to the letters or rules
of laws as it is administered by the court.
MEDICINE – it is the science and art dealing with prevention, cure and alleviation of diseases.
JURISPRUDENCE – it is practical science which investigates the nature, origin, development and
functions of law.
LEGAL MEDICINE – it is branch of medicine which deals with the application of medical knowledge
to the purpose of the application of law and justice.
FORENSIC MEDICINE – it is the use of medical science to elucidate legal problems.
MEDICAL JURISPRUDENCE – branch of law which deals with the organization and regulation of
medical profession with the contractual existing between practitioner and his patient and with the duties
imposed of the practitioner by the state.

NATURE OF LEGAL MEDICINE

The application of all branches of medicine and other allied sciences to law and administration of justice.
The knowledge of wounds has been acquired in surgery , abortion in gynecology, sudden deaths and
effects of trauma in pathology and others. Knowledge of legal medicine means the ability to acquire facts,
the power to arrange those facts in logical manner, and the application for purpose of law the conclusion
which they lead.

Legal medicine: The branch of medicine that deals with the application of medical knowledge to legal
problems and legal proceedings. Legal medicine is also called forensic medicine. A physician may be
engaged in legal (or forensic) medicine while a lawyer with identical interests is said to be in medical
jurisprudence.

Thus, Legal/Forensic Medicine provides the basic knowledge on the identification and handling of
medical related evidence, and examination of victims of trauma, domestic violence, child abuse, sexual
crimes, postmortem examination and autopsies, among others.

MEDICAL JURIST – a physician who specializes in the science of legal medicine.

MEDICO LEGAL SYSTEM IN THE WORLD

1. medico legal officer – practice in the Philippines
2. medical examiner – practice on the U.S.
3. coroner – practice in England

MEDICO LEGAL ASPECT OF IDENTIFICATION

The “LAW OF MULTIPLICITY OF EVIDENCE ” is true in the case of identification. The
greater the number of similarities or dissimilarities, the greater is the probability for the conclusion to be
correct.
Importance of Identification applied in legal medicine.
1. When a person disappeared under suspicious circumstances and when the body of the person was
found.
2. A certain person has been arrested by police authorities.
3. A man died leaving a vast state.
4. When a certain remain was exhumed, it is necessary to identify whether the remains is of human
origin.

When an unknown body is found, the following should be noted by the investigator to facilitate
identification as to the place where the body was found, the time when found , the cause of death, the
time when death occurred, the approximate age, the supposed profession and possible physical
description.

IDENTIFICATION OF PERSON

a. CHARACTERISTICS THAT MAY EASILY BE CHANGED:

Growth of hair, beard, and mustache, clothing, frequent place of visit, profession, body
ornamentation.

b. CHARACTERISTICS THAT MAY NOT BE EASILY CHANGED:

Mental memory, speech, mannerisms, hands and feet, complexion, eyes, facieses.
 c. IDENTIFICATION APPLICABLE TO BOTH LIVING AND DEAD PERSON BEFORE
ONSET OF DECOMPOSITION
Occupational marks, race, stature, teeth, weight, birth mark, moles, genitals, blood group.

MEDICAL LEGAL ASPECT OF DEATH

DEATH – it is the state of complete and persistent cessation in the respiration, circulation and other
vital function of the body.

THREE KINDS OF DEATH (legal point of view)

1. SOMATIC DEATH OR CLINICAL DEATH – this is the state of the body in which there is
complete, persistent and continuous cessation of the vital functions of the brain, heart and lungs
which maintain life and health.
2. MOLLECULAR OR CELLULAR DEATH – after cessation of the vital functions of the body,
there is still animal like among individual cells.
- What is molecular death in forensic science?
Molecular autopsy or postmortem molecular testing is a set of molecular techniques used in forensic
medici.ne to attempt to determine the cause of death in unexplained cases, in particular sudden
unexplained deaths (for example sudden cardiac death).
- Cellular death means the cessation of respiration and the normal metabolic activity in the body
tissues and cells followed by autolysis and decay. •
3. APPARENT DEATH – this condition is not really death but merely a transient loss of
consciousness or temporary cessation of the vital functions of the body.

CHANGES IN THE BODY FOLLOWING DEATH:

1. CHANGES IN THE MUSCLE
A. Stage of primary flaccidity (softness )
- What Happens One Hour After Death? At the moment of death, all of the muscles in the
body relax, a state called primary flaccidity .
- Changes in the muscles: Immediately after death, the muscles undergo primary
relaxation, as mentioned above, which is followed by stiffening of muscles known as
rigor mortis. With the onset of putrefaction, rigor mortis passes off, and secondary
relaxation occurs.
B. Stage of post modern rigidity (rigor mortis)
-Why does rigor mortis occur? Rigor mortis happens is because metabolism (Digestion or
breakdown) stops postmortem. Without cellular energy in the form of adenosine
triphosphate (ATP), muscles perpetually contract and fuse, causing stiffness.
(Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is an organic compound that provides energy to drive and support many
processes in living cells, such as muscle contraction, nerve impulse propagation, condensate dissolution,
and chemical synthesis. What is the function of the adenosine triphosphate?
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the source of energy for use and storage at the cellular level. The
structure of ATP is a nucleoside triphosphate, consisting of a nitrogenous base (adenine), a ribose sugar,
and three serially bonded phosphate groups)
C. Stage of secondary flaccidity

- During secondary flaccidity, the skin will shrink(become or make smaller in size or

amount.), creating the illusion that hair and nails are growing. Rigor mortis will then
dissipate(disappear or cause to disappear. in the opposite direction —from the fingers and
toes to the face—over 48 hours. Once secondary flaccidity is complete, the body's
muscles will relax again.

2. CHANGES IN THE BODY TEMPERATURE (ALGOR MORTIS)

- Algor mortis is translated from Latin as “cold death ” and describes the postmortem temperature
change after someone has died. After death, individuals no longer produce body heat or cooling
mechanisms and the decedent temperature slowly approaches ambient temperature.
3. CHANGES IN THE BLOOD (livor mortis)
- Livor mortis, also known as lividity or hypostasis, is the gravitational pooling of blood to lower
dependant areas resulting in a red/purple coloration. Although livor mortis is commonly seen
between 2 and 4 h postmortem, its onset may begin in the 'early' period, as little as 30 min
postmortem.

LEGAL IMPORTANCE OF DETERMINING DEATH

1. Civil personality of a natural person is extinguished(end) . The effect upon the rights and
obligations of the deceased is determined by law by contract and by will.
2. Property of a person is transmitted to heirs at the time of death
 3. Criminal liability of a person is extinguished.
4. Civil case for claim which does not survive is dismissed upon the defendant.

MEDICO LEGAL CLASSIFICATIO OF DEATH

Natural death caused by natural disease condition in the body. Violent Death due to injuries
inflicted in the body by some forms of outside force that the physical injury must be the approximate
cause of death. Accidental death that happens outside the sway of our will.Negligent Death due to
reckless imprudence, negligence or lack of skill. Suicidal Death, Parricidal Death, infanticide death,
murder and homicidal death.