OBJECTIVE: To assess an appropriate diagnostic method by measurements of the gunpowder amount around the entrance hole on the skin. METHODOLOGY: Using a caliber-38 revolver with FAME bullets, and from pre-established distances, five series of gunshots were performed on clothed fragments of pigskin. Then, we verified the presence of gunpowder tattoos, both, over the skin and clothes. To determine the amount of gunpowder particles present on the skin, microphotografies of the specimens were taken. All firing distances drew a clean zone (peripheral to the bullet entrance hole); followed by the gunpowder tattoo, which were divided into three concentric areas. These areas are closely related to the firing distance and inversely related to the concentration of gunpowder particles. CONCLUSION: It´s possible to make an accurate asessment of firing distance (range: 30 to 100 cm), through the mea...

El trabajo consistió en un experimento, de exportación en 3 animales conejos, en los que se observó el desarrollo de la fauna cadavérica, bajo 3 condiciones ambientales diferentes, creadas en la misma ubicación, en el techo de un edificio de tres pisos aislado de otras costrucciones, separados 8 mt. cada conejo de los otros, uno expuesto al sol, otro bajo sombra y el tercero enterrado, en condiciones climáticas durante los meses de junio a agosto. Se identificaron 11 especies de insectos, 08 Dípteras de tres familias de moscas y 03 Coleópteras, en los tres primeros meses, caracterizando el primer mes las moscas de la familia Calliphoridae, el segundo mes de la familia Sarcophagidae y el tercer mes la pequeñas moscas de la familia Dryomyzidae

CNS participó de la concepción del estudio y recolectó los datos. SAG, RECP y KCJ hicieron la revisión crítica. CNS y TCJ realizaron el análisis e interpretación de los datos. CNS redactó el borrador del artículo. Todos los autores aprobaron la versión final del artículo.

Introduction: Electrocution is a frequent cause of traumatic death. It produces lesions and external signs that should be corroborated by microscopic findings. Objective: To correlate macroscopic findings with histopathologic results in electrocution deaths. Design: Descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational, retrospective study. Setting: Legal Medicine Institute-MP, Pathology Institute, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru. Material: Medicolegal necropsy reports. Results: From 116 cases, 8 were women and 108 males, mean age was 31.3 years. Twenty three per cent were electricians and 18% worked in construction. The incident occurred at labor center in 51%. Suicide accounted for two cases. Frequent macroscopic findings were general signs of choking, power input injuries, myocardial hemorrhage and subpleural petechiae in 73.3%. Microscopic alterations were skin coagulative...