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Medicolegal Aspects of Hurt, Injury and Wound

Article · November 2013

DOI: 10.3329/akmmcj.v4i2.16941

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 REVIEW ARTICLE
Medicolegal Aspects of Hurt, Injury and Wound
*A Barek1, SMT Haque2
1*Prof.
Dr. Abdul Barek, Professor & Head, Department of Forensic Medicine
Anwer Khan Modern Medical College, Dhanmondi, Dhaka
2Dr. Syed Mohammad Tanjilul Haque, Assistant Professor. Department of Forensic Medicine
Anwer Khan Modern Medical College, Dhanmondi, Dhaka

*Corresponding author
ABSTRACT
Legal term hurt means bodily pain, injury or wound and disease or infirmity caused to any person.
Abrasion, bruise, laceration, fracture, dislocation, incised wound, stab wound, puncture, penetrating
wound, firearm wound, bomb blast wound, burn, scald are common types of injury or hurt. Different
types of weapons or means used to cause hurts are blunt, sharp and pointed weapons, firearms,
bombs, heat, electricity and corrosives. For legal purposes, hurts are grouped as grievous hurt and
simple hurt. There are eight categories of grievous hurt. In reporting hurt cases, the clinical state of
the victim with full description of the wounds are noted and an opinion regarding their legal state i.e.
whether grievous or simple, age of the injury, type of the weapon or means causing the injury,
whether inflicted by others or self inflicted etc. is given. These help the court to give its judgment.
There are enacted laws describing section, numbers, types of crime and their punishments.
Key words: Hurt, Injury, Weapons and Means, Medicolegal report, imprisonment and fine.

Introduction
Medical practitioners very frequently need to of violence. Injury also includes any harm to the
examine, treat victims and issue medicolegal mind, reputation and property, and hurt includes
reports in pursuit of their profession dealing bodily pain, disease or infirmity. Clinically a
with wounded persons. Law enforcing officers wound is produced when there is breach of
may send the wounded victims for routine anatomical continuity of the skin or mucous
treatment and necessarily for medicolegal membrane with or without damage of the
reports of the cases. Occasionally the victims underlying tissues. Forensically it is wound
from their own selves request the attending when there is damage of any tissue or organ
medical practitioners to issue medical irrespective of breach of continuity of the skin
certificates and reports which will be needed to or mucous membrane.
start a legal action against the accused persons.
Production of wound4,11: A wound is produced
This is why the medical practitioners have to use
when the intensity of the applied force to the
their medical knowledge and skill regarding body exceeds the capability of the tissue to adapt
hurts or injuries, different causative weapons or
or resist the force. The capability of the tissue
means for making very useful medicolegal to adapt or resist the force depends on mass,
reports and on a later date to act as competentvelocity, exact area of the weapon pressing the
expert witness in the courts of law. body, structure of the tissue, mode of
application of the applied force like
Discussion compression, traction, torsion, tangent and
The term hurt , injury and wound have almost leverage of the stress. Type of damage of the
1 2 3
the same meaning and some differences as well. tissue depends on the degree of transfer of the
They usually mean any damage to any part of kinetic energy from the relative movement of
the body or bodily harm caused by application the weapon and/or the body.
AKMMC J 2013; 4(2): 37-41
Medicolegal Aspects of Hurt, Injury and Wound 38
Type of wounds5,9: Wounds are typed on the through the tissue it is called perforating wound.
basis of their appearance and the method of Legally puncture and penetrating wounds are
causation. Abrasion- It is the damage occurring also considered as stab wounds.
in the epidermis; some dermal papillae may also Firearm wounds2- These wounds are produced
be damaged. It is caused by rough hard blunt by bullet or pellets fired from guns. Bullet
objects or surfaces or by drawing the tip of the usually causes perforation and pellets cause
pointed objects against the skin or mucous penetrating wounds. Firearm entry wounds are
membrane. Most abrasions are caused by associated with burning, blackening, tattooing of
rubbing effect and others are caused by vertical the surrounding skin. Blast wounds7,8 are
pressure. Pattern of the impacting object may be produced by explosion of bombs and are due to
retained at the abraded area. Bruise- It is the blast pressure wave (shock wave), blast winds,
extravascular collection of blood in the tissue, heat, splinters, shrapnels, surrounding small
viz, dermis of the skin, subcutaneous tissue and fragments propelled by blast winds.
other deeper tissues due to rupture of blood
vessels caused by application of blunt force with To produce wounds the weapons are applied to
overlying tissue remaining intact so that blood the body or the body is applied to the weapon
cannot escape outside. When the lesion is visible with various velocities. Different wounds have
from outside it is called bruise and if not visible different characteristics and can easily be
from outside it is called contusion. Bruises may identified. Type and characteristics of wounds
be of different sizes, viz, petechial haemorrhage indicate the type of weapons. The weapons may
of pin head size, purpura of size 2 to 5 mm, be metallic, wooden, fibrous, stone like and
echymosis of more than 5 mm, haematoma even the parts of the body of the offender, viz,
causing local swelling. Laceration- it is the teeth, nails, feet, palm, hand fist, fingers,
tearing or splitting of the skin, mucous elbows and knees.
membrane and surfaces of any internal organs Burns14,15 are caused by flame, heated objects
caused by application of blunt force. Blood and scalds by hot liquids and vapours or gases.
escapes from the wound to the exterior or any Bodily harm may also be caused by corrosives,
body cavity. Fracture- It is the breach of electricity, insecticide, high dose of drugs.
continuity of bone or tooth caused by application Dangerous weapons and means1: Following
of blunt force. Clinical features and X-ray things and means have been designated as
findings are considered to diagnose this type of dangerous (BPC section Nos. 324, 326): Any
lesion. In dislocation of joint the bone ends get instrument for shooting, stabbing, or cutting or any
displaced completely from their normal instrument used as weapon of offence and is likely
anatomical positions with damage to the adjacent to cause death or any means of fire or any heated
tissues. Incised wound- It is caused by the substance, any poison, any substance deleterious to
sharp edge of the weapon applied to the skin human body to inhale, swallow or to receive into
perpendicularly or obliquely making regular blood or any animal for causing offence.
clean edges of the wound. It is called a slash
wound when the length of the wound is greater Complications of injuries: They are
than its depth. haemorrhage, shock, impairment of functions of
vital organs, asphyxia, unconsciousness,
It is stab wound6,12 when its depth is greater
infections, embolism etc.
than its length and usually caused by pointed
knife or dagger. A puncture wound is produced Categorization1,10 of hurt or injury: The
when a pointed thin bodied weapon is pushed following hurts or injuries are designated as
into the body. Its depth is also greater than its grievous (BPC Section 320)
diameter. A penetrating wound is produced First- Emasculation. i.e. loss of male sexual ability.
when a bigger type of pointed weapon like teta Secondly- Permanent privation of the sight of
is pushed into the body making a greater depth. either eye.
When puncture or penetrating wound is such Thirdly- Permanent privation of hearing of
that it has an entry and an exit and a tract either ear.
39 AKMMC J 2013: 4(2) A Barek, SMT Haque
Fourthly- Privation of any member (part of the body) Opinion regarding age of injury13: Healing
or joint. changes of the wounds, Viz, colour changes,
Fifthly- Destruction or permanent impairing of the union of the wound edges indicate
powers of any member or joint. approximately the interval between time of
wound occurrence and medical examination.
Sixthly- Permanent disfiguration of the head or face.
Victim examination and report preparation:
Seventhly- Fracture or dislocation of a bone or tooth. After proper identification of the victim, history
Eighthly- Any hurt which endangers life or of the incident is taken and general clinical
which causes the sufferer to be, during the space examination is done including detailed
of twenty days, in severe bodily pain or unable description of injuries necessary investigation is
to follow his ordinary pursuits. done. Margins, directions and other features are
Any hurts other than the grievous ones are non noted and necessary investigation like X-ray
grievous or simple hurts (BPC Section No 319) findings is added. A photograph of the wound
with a measuring scale placed by its side can
Hurts that produce shock, asphyxia, or coma of also be added to the injury report. Proper
the victim are considered endangering hurts. treatment is also given at the same time. If the
If no treatment is given, the victim may die. victim is in dying condition, his dying
Hurts are necessarily fatal, meaning that no best declaration10 is taken and his signature and LTI
treatment can save the victim from death. are taken. The declaration sheet is also signed
Most hurts are caused by other persons directly by the doctor and two witnesses.
or indirectly. They are the accused person. On the basis of medical findings found at the
Some injuries may be self inflicted with a time of examination, opinion is given
motive to accuse others for self interest or to mentioning the category of hurt, type of weapon
avoid responsibilities or for self killing. The self used to cause the wounds, age of the injuries,
inflicted wounds are usually caused by sharp whether self inflicted or inflicted by others. The
cutting weapons. Those cut wounds are report is signed by the doctor and his seal
superficial, multiple, parallel and placed over impression is put and sent to the investigating
the easily accessible sites of the body like wrist, officer in sealed envelope. Copies of medical
neck, front of chest and abdomen. documents are also preserved by the doctor for
Opinion regarding weapon or means: Types future reference.
and characteristics of the wounds found over the Penal Code section numbers (PCSN), hurt/
body of the victim indicate the type of weapons offences and punishments1:
or means, Viz, blunt, sharp, pointed, firearms,
bombs, heat, corrosives etc.
Table: Penal Code section numbers (PCSN), hurt/ offences and punishments1
PCSN Hurt /offences Punishments

323 Voluntarily causing simple hurt Imprisonment (S= simple or R= rigorous)

extending up to 1 year or fine, extending up to
1000/= Tk or both
324 Voluntarily causing simple hurt by Imprisonment (S or R) extending up to 3 years
dangerous weapon or fine or both
325 Voluntarily causing grievous hurt Imprisonment (S or R) extending up to 7 years
and fine.
326 Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by Imprisonment for life or imprisonment (S or R)
dangerous weapons or means extending up to 10 years and fine.
Medicolegal Aspects of Hurt, Injury and Wound 40

PCSN Hurt /offences Punishments

326A Voluntarily causing grievous hurt to Death sentence or life imprisonment and also
both eyes or head, face by corrosives fine.
(Vitriolage).
327 Voluntarily causing simple hurt to extort Imprisonment (S or R) extending up to 10 years
property or to constrain illegal act. and fine.
328 Causing simple hurt by poison with Imprisonment (S or R) extending up to 10 years.
intend to commit and offence
329 Voluntarily causing grievous hurt to extort Life imprisonment or imprisonment (S or R)
property or to constrain an illegal act extending up to 10 years and fine.
330 Voluntarily causing simple hurt to extort Imprisonment (S or R) extending up to 7 years
confession or to compel restoration of and fine.
property.
331 Voluntarily causing grievous hurt to Imprisonment (S or R) extending up to 10 years
extort confession or to compel and fine.
restoration of property.
332 Voluntarily causing simple hurt to deter Imprisonment (S or R) extending up to 3 years
public servant from his duty or fine or both
333 Voluntarily causing grievous hurt to Imprisonment (S or R) extending up to 10 years
deter public servant from his duty and fine.
334 Voluntarily causing simple hurt on Imprisonment (S or R) extending up to 1 month
provocation or fine extending up to Tk 500/= or both
335 Voluntarily causing grievous hurt on Imprisonment (S or R) extending up to 4 years
provocation or fine extending up to Tk 2000/= or both
336 Rash (act done without due Imprisonment (S or R) extending up to 3 months
consideration, reckless or hasty act) or or fine extending up to Tk 200/= or both
negligent act endangering life or
personal safety of others
337 Causing simple hurt by rash or Imprisonment (S or R) extending up to 6 months
negligent act endangering life or or fine extending up to Tk 500/= or both.
personal safety of others.
338 Causing grievous hurt by rash or Imprisonment (S or R) extending up to 2 years
negligent act endangering life or or fine extending up to Tk 5000/= or both
personal safety of others.
338A Causing grievous hurt by rash, driving Imprisonment (S or R) extending up to 2 years
or riding on public way to endanger life or fine or both.
or personal safety of others.
 41 AKMMC J 2013: 4(2) A Barek, SMT Haque

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