Citation

Tanner BS, Catanese C, Lew EO, Rapkiewicz A. J. Forensic Sci. 2016; 61(2): 569-572.

Affiliation

Department of Pathology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York City, NY, 10016.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.12955

PMID

27404633

Abstract

The purpose of this case study was to raise awareness among forensic pathologists and medicolegal death investigators regarding two unique socioethnic practices and regional customs that have significant forensic implications. We present two cases involving coining (gua sha) and bloodletting (sapi) that represent two forms of traditional customs that involve the use of blunt force and sharp force trauma, respectively. In coining, the skin lesions are produced as a result of dermabrasion with oils and oval objects such as coin. In sapi, multiple superficial linear scrapes are made in the skin as part of a bloodletting ceremony. The identification of these lesions will prevent the interpretation of them as non-voluntary-inflicted trauma.

© 2015 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Language: en