Retrospective analysis of female unnatural deaths due to thermal injuries Chaudhari Kapileshwar M1, Pathak Ajit G2,*, Devraj Nilesh A3, Gadhari Ramesh K3 1Associate Professor Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Shri Bhausaheb Hire Govt. Medical College, Dhule, Maharashtra, India 2Professor & Head Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Shri Bhausaheb Hire Govt. Medical College, Dhule, Maharashtra, India 3Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Shri Bhausaheb Hire Govt. Medical College, Dhule, Maharashtra, India *Corresponding author: Dr. A. G. Pathak, Professor & Head, Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Shri Bhausaheb Hire Govt. Government Medical College & Hospital, Chakkarbardi Parisar, Dhule, Maharashtra. Pin-424001. Email id: ajitgpathak1@gmail.com
Online published on 13 December, 2018. Abstract Thermal injuries produced by the application of heat such as flame, radiant heat, contact with heated solid or liquid substances to the body surface. Thermal injury death is one of the leading causes of unnatural deaths in females in India. Retrospective analysis study at Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Shri Bhausaheb Hire Govt. Medical College, Dhule revealed 98 females out of all the 136 thermal injury deaths in the entire one year duration of 2016. The data of 98 female thermal injury deaths studied is obtained from the autopsy reports, hospital treatment records and from police inquest and panchnama of the deceased studied. We found 60 (61.22%) female victims in the age group of 21 to 40 years. 70 (80.62%) females were married. Accidents and suicides constituted 66 (67.35%) and 20 (20.41%) female thermal injury deaths respectively. Out of the 82 (83.67%) flame burn type of cases, in 52 (53.06%), kerosene was noted as the most common inflammable substance involved, almost invariably while cooking with kerosene stoves. 46 (46.94%) cases out of the 98 studied, survived between three to seven days. Septicemia due to thermal injuries comprised 61 (62.24%) female victims. Dying declarations were recorded in 47 (47.95%) thermal female victims before their deaths. Lack of immediate crime scene visit with immediate preparation of spot panchnama by police investigation officers in spot thermal deaths and the cases where dying declarations could not be recorded, makes the situation difficult to reach to the exact and factual opinion about manner of death, in almost similarly narrated accidental incidences of the young married burnt females. Top Keywords Thermal, Injury, Female, Unnatural, Deaths, Married. Top |