Professional Documents
Culture Documents
General
Considerations
Definition of Terms
Legal Medicine
Branch of Medicine which deals with
the application of medical knowledge
to the purposes of law and in the
administration of justice
Legal Medicine, Forensic Medicine and
Medical Jurisprudence - synonymous
with each other, and in common
practice are used interchangeably
Definitions &
Differences
Strictly speaking
Legal Medicine is primarily the
application of medicine to legal cases
Forensic Medicine concerns with
the application of medical knowledge
to elucidate legal problems.
Differences in Scopes
William J. Curran
a prominent Harvard professor of legal
medicine defines
Legal Medicine as encompassing those
specialty areas of medicine concerned with
relations to substantive law and legal
institutions
Forensic Medicine deals with investigation ,
preparation, preservation and presentation of
evidence and medical opinion in courts and
other legal, correctional and other lawenforcement settings
According to Dr Henry
C. Lee
an eminent U.S. forensic expert who claims
that Forensic Medicine has a broader
definition than Legal Medicine
Who is who?
A physician who specializes or is involved
primarily with medico-legal duties is known
as a Medical Jurist (aka Medical
Examiner, Medico-legal Officer,
Medico-legal Expert)
Distinction between an
ordinary physician and a
medical jurist:
Ordinary Physician
1. Sees an injury or
illness on the point of
view of TREATMENT
Medical Jurist
1. Sees an injury or
illness on the point of
view of CAUSE
2. Purpose in
2. include those
examining patient
bodily lesions in his
is to arrive at a
report and testify
definite Diagnosisbefore the court
Rx Rx
before an
investigation body
result: justice
where justice is
Ordinary Physician
3. Minor or trivial
ignored they do
not require
Medical Jurist
3. Medical jurists must
record all bodily
injuries even if they
are minor because
these injuries may
be proofs to qualify
the crime or to
justify an act
Major capabilities of a
medico-legal officer:
Conducts
autopsy
examination of victims of sexual crimes
examination of victims of Physical injuries
examination of skeletal remains
blood and blood stain, seminal fluid/stainexamination of body fluids
Exhumation of bodies
Histopathological examinations
Criminal Law
Remedial Law
Rules on evidence
Proceedings for hospitalization
Physical/mental examination of a person
FORENSIC Science
Disciplines:
Hair Analysis
DNA Analysis
Fiber Analysis Forensic Anthropology
Glass fragments and paint chips
Forensic
Archaeology
analyses Forensic Pathology
Ballistics and Tool marks
Forensic Odontology
Fingerprints
Questioned Document analysis
Footwear Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology
Tire Impressions
Blood Splatter Analysis
ASSIGNMENT:
Bring to class next meeting
Medico-legal certificate
Autopsy Report
Case Discussion:
An 18 year old female, single, came to a medical clinic
complaining that she has been raped.
History of the Present Complaint:
One (1) month PTC, Mr. X by use of force and intimidation had
carnal knowledge with her at Burnham Park @ 2:00 p.m. For fear
of her parents wrath, she kept what happened to herself and
came for medical examination only today.
Examination results: