Problems of Forensic Sciences 2011 Vol. 88 (LXXXVIII) 324-331
INTRARETINAL HAEMORRHAGE AS AN INTERPRETATIVE FACTOR EXPLAINING THE MECHANISM OF CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM DAMAGE
Roman Hauser1, Krystyna Raczyńska2, Tomasz Gos1, Krystian Pstrong3, Monika Kosmowska1, Jerzy Kuczkowski4, Zbigniew Jankowski1
1Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
2Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
3Court Executive Officer, District Court of Gdańsk-Południe, Gdańsk, Poland
4epartment of Diseases of Ear, Nose, Throat and Larynx, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
Streszczenie
The authors describe a case that was the subject of an expert opinion drawn up at the Chair and Department of Forensic Medicine in Gdańsk on the basis of data included in prosecution records. In their decision the district prosecutor’s office inquired as to the type of injuries sustained by an almost 6-week old infant, the legal category of the said injuries, the mechanism by which they occurred and the prognosis. In view of the fact that in the course of the analysis, an important consideration emerged relating to the time when the injuries – mostly involving the central nervous system (CNS) – occurred, the resultant medicolegal opinion also addressed this issue. Irrespective of the nature of the case, in view of another problem that has automatically arisen, the authors emphasized the necessity of extending the scope of post-mortem examinations in the case of children’s deaths.