Citation

Pathak AK, Shukla VY. J. Forensic Sci. 2017; 62(4): 1092-1093.

Affiliation

Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, SSG Hospital & Medical College, Baroda, Gujarat, India.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.13350

PMID

28168686

Abstract

The cases of battered woman syndrome (BWS) are very common in India. The majority of the women suffer battering by their family members especially in-laws. The injuries occurring each time indicate their being battered, but on being questioned about these happenings, a mismatched history being given by them is the major indication of BWS. In many of the cases, the injuries present over the body either in healing stages or in association with skin diseases may mislead the forensic pathologists and investigating agencies. One such rare autopsy was conducted where the healing lesions of the chronic fungal infections were mistaken as the injuries of chronic torture. The case is presented here to remind to the forensic pathologist about the possibility of the signs of chronic fungal infections in dead, which can mimic the torture, and to discuss its medicolegal implications.

© 2016 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Language: en

Keywords

autopsy; forensic science; fungal infection; injury; torture; unnatural death