Lethal accidents caused by lightning are divided into observed and unobserved events. Pathognomonic or characteristic findings are often overlooked during external postmortem examination. Classical mistakes may be made which may often lead to an incorrect diagnosis. An analysis of 270 fatalities was performed on a historical collection of the Committee for Lightning Conductor Construction for the United Economic Area e. V. (ABBW) on lethal accidents due to lightning that occurred in Germany for the period 1951-1965. Furthermore, a selective literature research was carried out. The aim of the study was to analyze the death scene, the clothing, and the victim. The authors focused on chief findings which were relevant to the correct diagnosis of \"death by lightning.\" Both Lichtenberg figures and singed body hair were considered pathognomonic for a lightning strike. The question arose as to whether Lichtenberg figures, for example, represented the finding that most often led to the correct diagnosis. Of the 270 lightning-struck victims from the case collection, 129 (47.8%) had singed body hair and 25 (9.3%) had Lichtenberg figures. A comparison of the frequency of the two reported findings, singed body hair versus Lichtenberg figures, has only been performed in the literature for case numbers below 40. This study is the first evaluation of a relatively large number of lethal accidents due to lightning. Singed body hair was reported more frequently in lightning-struck victims than Lichtenberg figures. This study showed that singed body hair is probably more diagnostically important than Lichtenberg figures.

Data related to forensic postmortems or autopsies are still mainly captured in hard copy format and archived. This paper-based practice impacts on the practitioner\'s ability to report on incidence, prevalence, and statistical trends related to cases that are commonly seen in mortuaries in forensic medicine. An autopsy can be used to inform and provide evidence-based knowledge for further research about important issues, including social development and assist in providing statistics and data for public health initiatives for implementation and monitoring. Currently, in forensic medicine and pathology research developments are largely hampered by the inefficient data capturing system which only allows access to basic information while pertinent information is largely recorded manually and is therefore difficult to obtain. There is thus a need to improve the efficiency of the data capturing system in forensic pathology, and this review is intended to inform the choice and decisions of appropriate data capture practices and is being conducted to identify nationally and internationally the current data mining and storage systems in place.
The methodology for this scoping review will be guided by the methodological framework for scoping review. The search strategy was developed by the authors, and we will conduct a search from 1 January 2008 of electronic databases (Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct) and search through WorldCat and PubMed for citations and literature using both keywords and the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH).The electronic search will be supplemented by hand searching references of the included studies and references in journals and websites. All articles will be assessed for eligibility by two reviewers (the primary and secondary authors) and uploaded into EndNote Excel spreadsheet, and duplicates will be identified and removed. The two reviewers (primary and secondary authors) will screen the eligible abstracts and articles against the inclusion criteria, and selection will be on a minimum percentage agreement of 50%. The selection process will be documented by following and using a PRISMA flow diagram. The extracted data will be analyzed and reported in the form of a narrative review with descriptive analysis and text analysis once the data is summarized for description and characterization.
The results of this review will identify and describe data capturing, management, and storage practices for use in forensic medicine. It will also review the efficiency of the different data systems and report where possible on the uses of the data system within the forensic medicine and pathology field.
Although research ethics approval is not required for this scoping review because the study will not include human or animal participants, the study was submitted for approval to the University of Kwazulu Natal Biomedical Research Ethics Committee and obtained provisional approval. Data will be sourced only from published literature and gray literature. The results will be presented at relevant national and international conferences and published in a peer-reviewed journal. All search results including excluded studies will be added into an addendum in the article and made available for public perusal to therefore ensure transparency and reproducibility.

For decades, forensic scientists have sought a means of estimating the postmortem interval using laboratory analyses. The best known of these attempts uses a linear regression formula based on the increasing concentration of potassium ions in vitreous humor following death. Like all laboratory analyses, the determination of a potassium concentration is subject to pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical errors. Any error is magnified when entered into a regression formula that itself is subject to statistical variation, typically with a 95% confidence interval. Estimating the postmortem interval based solely on the concentration of potassium in vitreous humor proved too simplistic for accurate modeling of the myriad factors that influence postmortem changes. Research continues, using more complicated algorithms involving multivariate ion and chemical analyses and genomic sequencing of the postmortem biome. However refined estimates of the postmortem interval based on laboratory analysis become, sound medical practice will still require the integration of scene findings and information concerning the last time that a given decedent was known to be alive with the results of postmortem examination and laboratory analyses into a medical opinion concerning the postmortem interval.

Between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2015, findings of a New York State Gaming Commission-Cornell University postmortem examination program were utilized in a multi-disciplinary mortality review process to review 129 racing fatalities at Thoroughbred racetracks operated by the New York Racing Association (NYRA). Musculoskeletal fractures comprised 79% of the fatalities; cardiopulmonary conditions accounted for 12% of the fatalities. Other causes of death included gastrointestinal (3%), respiratory (5%), and central nervous system (2%) conditions. Fetlock failure represented 50% of the musculoskeletal fatalities. The general distribution of these findings was very similar to that reported by the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System during the same period. These findings, used in conjunction with a comprehensive mortality review process and regulatory reform, have contributed to a significant reduction of the incidence of Thoroughbred racing fatalities at NYRA racetracks during the period of this review.

Investigation of animal-related crime, and therefore submission of forensic cases to veterinary pathology facilities, is increasing, yet many veterinary pathologists are unfamiliar and often uncomfortable with involvement in the forensic necropsy. This article discusses various aspects of the forensic necropsy without specific attention to any particular species group or crime. General advice is given on procedures, documentation, and recording of the examination, and the article indicates how these features may differ from those used in investigation of natural disease. It also discusses evidence management, including recordkeeping, identification of evidence, labeling of photographs, and use of standard operating procedures and protocols. Various written and visual methods for documentation of the forensic necropsy are covered, and adjunctive topics such as sample collection, assessment, and description of wounds and taphonomy are included. Cause, mechanism, and manner of death are defined, and guidance to the use of these terms is given. The aim of this article is to offer guidance on procedural aspects of the forensic necropsy that will help those developing their forensic services, contribute to standardization of the provision of forensic veterinary pathology, and build the confidence of the \"uncomfortable\" forensic veterinary pathologist.

Sometimes the opinion regarding the cause of death in \"John Doe or Jane Doe\" i.e. on unknown dead bodies is a test of ability of the forensic expert and on many occasions it yields little or no results. Here the identification of the body as such poses problems; rest aside the opinion regarding the cause/ manner of death. The present 5yr study was undertaken in the Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Government Medical College & Hospital, Chandigarh to find the patterns of cause of death in unknown dead bodies, as very little literature is available with regard to John Doe or Jane Doe cases as a group, in India. Unidentified bodies comprised 4 % of the total 3165 cases brought for post-mortem examination to the department. Maximum cases belonged to the age group 41 - 50 years, 30 %. Majority of the opinions regarding the cause of death were given as \"no definite opinion\" (31%), followed by \"cranio-cerebral damage\" (30 %) and coronary insufficiency/ Cardiac disease/ aortic aneurysm rupture, (8.9%). Following measures should be undertaken to increase the chances of getting these unknown bodies identified and thereby increasing the chances of arriving at a definite cause of death: drafting of additional legislation for the management of unidentified dead bodies along with streamlining of work on the part of police, use of active investigation and modern investigative techniques, fixing the accountability of the police. Internet based sites of the police like ZIPNET (Zonal Integrated Police Networking) in Northern India, should also be used.