FMT DEFINITIONS

Forensic or legal medicine (forensic= forums of or used in Courts of law) deals with the
application of medical and paramedical knowledge to aid in the administration of justice.

Medical jurisprudence deals with legal responsibilities of the physician and legal aspects of
practice of medicine.

Medical etiquette deals with the conventional laws of courtesy observed between members
of the medical profession.

Medical ethics deals with the moral principles which should guide members of the medical
profession in their dealings with each other, their patients and the State.

An inquest is an inquiry or investigation into the cause of death.

Subpoena is a document/writ compelling the attendance of a witness in a Court of law under

penalty, on a particular day, time and place, for the purpose of giving evidence.

Conduct money is the fee offered or paid to a witness in civil cases, at the time of serving
the summons to meet the expenses for attending the Court.

Evidence means and includes: (1) all statements which the Court permits or requires to be
made before it by witnesses, in relation to matters of fact under inquiry, (2) all documents
produced for inspection of the Court

Dying Declaration is a written or oral statement of a person, who is dying as a result of some
unlawful act, relating to the material facts of cause of his death or bearing on the
circumstances.

Dying Deposition is a statement of a person on oath, recorded by the Magistrate in the

presence of the accused or his lawyer, who is allowed to cross-examine the witness.

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A witness is a person who gives sworn testimony/evidence in court of law regarding matters
of fact under inquiry.

Perjury means giving wilful false/ fabricated evidence.

Oath is a declaration required by the law, which is compulsory and holds the witness
responsible for consequences of his evidence.

Professional Misconduct/Infamous conduct is any conduct of the doctor which might

reasonably be regarded as disgraceful or dishonourable by his professional colleagues of good
repute and competence.

Professional negligence is defined as absence of reasonable care and skill, or wilful

negligence of a medical practitioner in the treatment of a patient, which causes bodily injury,
ill-health or death of the patient.

Privileged communication is a bonafide statement made by a doctor upon any subject matter
to the appropriate authority to protect the interests of the State or the community.

Res ipsa loquitur - "the thing or fact speaks for itself"

NOVUS ACTUS INTERVENIENS: A person is responsible not only for his actions, but
also for the logical consequences of those actions.

Contributory negligence is any unreasonable conduct, or absence of ordinary care on the

part of the patient, or his personal attendant, which combined with the doctor's negligence,
contributed to the injury complained of, as a direct, proximate cause and without which the
injury would not have occurred.

Res judicata- If a question of negligence against a doctor has already been decided by a
Court, the patient will not be allowed to contest the same question in another proceeding on
the same set of facts. Only appeal can be made.

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Res indicata -A suit for damages for negligence against the doctor should be filed within two
years from the date of alleged negligence. A suit filed after two years will be dismissed as
being beyond the period of limitation.

Vicarious Liability- An employer is responsible not only for his own negligence but also for
the negligence of his employees, if such acts occur in the course of the employment and
within its scope, by the principle of respondeat superior (let the master answer).

Consent is defined as free and voluntary agreement, compliance or permission given for a
specified act or purpose.

Loco Parentis : In an emergency involving children. when their parents or guardians are not
available, consent is taken from the person-in-charge of the child

Euthanasia/mercy killing means inflicting painless death of a person suffering from severe
incurable and painful disease.

Identification is the determination of the individuality of a person based on certain physical

characteristics,

Corpus delicti - body of offence- the facts of any criminal offence

Autopsy (to see for one self) or necropsy means, postmortem examination of a body.

Thanatology- branch of medical science that deals with the study of death.

Somatic death: It is the complete and irreversible stoppage of the circulation, respiration and
brain functions (Bishop's tripod of life)

Molecular death- It means the death of cells and tissues individually, which takes place
usually one to two hours after the stoppage of the vital functions.

Asphyxia- a state in living organism in which there is acute lack of oxygen available for cell
metabolism associated with inability of body to eliminate excess of carbon dioxide.

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Sudden Death- Death is said to be sudden or unexpected when a person not known to have
been suffering from any dangerous disease, injury or poisoning is found dead or dies within
24 hours after the onset of terminal illness

Forensic taphonomy is the interdisciplinary study and interpretation of postmortem

processes of human remains, i.e., the history of changes of a body following death.

Suspended animation/apparent death is a state of body in which the vital functions are at
such a low pitch that the body functions cannot be determined by ordinary methods of
clinical examination.

Rigor mortis (death stiffening; cadaveric rigidity) is a state of stiffening of muscles,

sometimes with slight shortening of the fibres. Individual cell death takes place in this stage.

Postmortem lividity is the bluish-purple or purplish-red (due to deoxyhaemoglobin)

discolouration, which appears under the skin in the most superficial layers of the dermis (rete
mucosum) of the dependent parts of the body after death, due to capillo-venous distention.

Injury is any harm, whatever illegally caused to any person in body, mind, reputation or
property

A simple injury is one which is neither extensive nor serious and which heals rapidly
without leaving any permanent deformity or disfiguration.

Grievous hurt- According to Section 320 of IPC, the following

kinds of hurt only are designated as “grievous hurt”.

• Firstly – emasculation
• Secondly – permanent privation of the sight of either eye
• Thirdly – permanent privation of the hearing of either ear
• Fourthly – privation of member or joint
• Fifthly – destruction or permanent impairing of the powers of any member or joint
• Sixthly – Permanent disfiguration of the head or face

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• Seventhly – fracture or dislocation of a bone or tooth
• Eighthly – any hurt which endangers life or which causes the sufferer to be during the space
of twenty days in severe bodily pain or unable to follow his ordinary pursuits.

Dangerous Injury is a part of grievous hurt and refers to any injury, which poses imminent
danger to life by its direct or imminent effect

Assault is defined as “whoever makes any gesture or any preparation, intending or knowing
it to be likely that such gesture or preparation will cause any person present to apprehend that
he who makes that gesture or preparation is about to use criminal force to that person, is said
to commit an assault.

An abrasion (gravel rash) is a type of mechanical injury characterized by loss of the

superficial layers of skin or mucous membranes due to application of mechanical force.

Contusion is an extravasation or collection of blood due to rupture of blood vessels caused

by application of mechanical force of blunt nature without loss of continuity of tissue.

Laceration is a form of mechanical injury caused by hard and blunt force impact
characterized by splitting or tearing of tissues.

Incised wound is a form of mechanical injury characterized by orderly solution of skin and
tissues by a sharp cutting force.

Chop wounds are a type of incised wounds made by hacking or chopping motion wih a fairly
sharp and relatively heavy weapon.

Stab wound is a piercing wound produced by application of mechanical force along the long
axis of a narrow or pointed object.

Fracture is a breach in the continuity of bone due to application of mechanical force or other
traumatic agent.

Firearm is any instrument or device designed to propel a projectile by means of explosion of

gases generated by combustion of an explosive substance.

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Ammunition means the material used to cause the explosion i.e. the ingredients used such as
bullet, pellet, powder etc.

Ballistics is a science that deals with the investigation of firearms, ammunition and the
effects arising from their use.

Head injury is defined as a morbid state resulting from gross or subtle structural changes in
the scalp, skull and/or the contents of the skull, produced by mechanical force.

Weapons are the means or mechanical devises which when applied in a hostile manner, will
produce injury.

Dangerous weapon is defined as any instrument used for shooting, stabbing or cutting, or
any instrument which, if used as a weapon of offense is likely to cause death; or by means of
fire or any heated substance, or by means of any poison or any corrosive substance, or by
means of any explosive substance or by means of any substance which is deleterious to
human body to inhale, to swallow or to receive into blood or by means of any animal.

Homicide is defined as any death resulting from injury purposefully inflicted by another
person.

A burn injury is defined as tissue injury due to application of heat in any form to the
external or internal body surface.

Scald injuries are the tissue damage caused from application of moist heat.

Hanging is a form of violent death produced by suspending the body with a ligature round
the neck, the constricting force being the weight of the body or a part of body weight.

Strangulation is a form of violent asphyxial death caused by constricting the neck by means
of ligature or by any other means without suspending the body.

Throttling is violent asphyxial death produced by compression of neck manually i.e. by

using human hands.

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Suffocation is a type of mechanical asphyxia caused-
1. Either due to lack of oxygen in the environment or
2. By mechanical obstruction to the air passage by means other than constriction of neck and
drowning.

Smothering is a form of asphyxia caused by mechanical occlusion of the external respiratory

orifices i.e. the nose and mouth.

Gagging is a type of asphyxia caused by preventing the air entry into the respiratory tract by
stuffing gag material into the mouth.

Burking is a form of mechanical asphyxia where death is caused by a combination of

smothering and traumatic asphyxia.

Choking is a form of asphyxial death caused by mechanical obstruction of the air passage
from within.

Traumatic asphyxia is form of violent asphyxia caused due to mechanical fixation of the
chest preventing respiratory movements.

Drowning is a form of asphyxial death where air entry into lungs is prevented due to
submersion of mouth and nostrils into water or any fluid medium.

Rape is defined as unlawful sexual intercourse by a man with a woman:

1. Against her will;
2. Without her consent;
3. With her consent, when her consent has been obtained by putting her or any other person
in whom she is interested in fear of death or hurt;
4. With her consent, when the man knows that he is not her husband and that her consent is
given because she believes that he is another man to whom she is or believes herself to be
lawfully married;
5. With her consent, when at time of giving such consent, by reason of unsoundness of mind
or intoxication or the administration by him personally or through another of any

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 stupefying or unwholesome substance, she is unable to understand the nature and
consequences of that to which she gives consent;
6. With or without her consent, when she is under 16 years of age.

Impotence, in male, is defined as persistent inability to develop or maintain a penile erection

sufficient to conclude coitus to orgasm and ejaculation.

Frigidity is a psychological defect in female having an abnormal aversion to sexual

intercourse.

Sterility means inability of a person to procreate.

Sterilization is a procedure to make a male or female sterile (infertile) without affecting the
potency of that person.

Abortion is premature expulsion of products of conception from womb, either spontaneous

or induced at any time before the period of gestation is completed.

Any abortion, which does not come under the rules of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy
(MTP) Act 1971, is considered as criminal abortion

Toxicology is defined as a branch of medical science, which deals with poison in relation to
their sources, properties, action, the symptoms which they produce, fatal dose, toxicity,
diagnosis, treatment and autopsy features.

Forensic toxicology is that branch of toxicology, which deals with the medical and legal
aspects of the harmful effects of chemicals on humans.

Clinical toxicology deals with causation, diagnosis and management of poisoning in humans.

Poison- Any substance if, taken in any account, by any route, produces harmful effect (i.e.
disease, deformity or death, the 3 D’s) over the body.

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Drug is any substance or product that is used or is intended to be used to modify or explore
physiological systems or pathological states for the benefit of the recipient.

Antidotes are the substances used to counteract or neutralize the effects of poison.

Corrosive poisons are the substances which are caustic i.e. capable of burning the tissue
when applied.

Vitriolage means throwing of acid on the face or body of a person with a malicious intention
to cause bodily harm or disfigurement or to cause blindness.

Somniferous poisons refer to agent capable of inducing sleep.

Inebriant are the substances capable of causing intoxication.

Alcohol intoxication is a state associated with behavioral, psychomotor and cognitive

changes in an individual.

Drunkenness is a condition produced in a person who has taken alcohol in a quantity

sufficient to cause him to lose control of his faculties to such an extent that he is unable to
execute the occupation in which he is engaged at the material time.

Alcoholism is a disorder characterized by excessive drinking that results in injury to person’s

health or inadequate social functioning or both.

Deliriant are the poisons acting on the brain and inducing altered consciousness with
confusion, delusions, hallucinations and agitation.

Forensic Psychiatry deals with the application of knowledge of psychiatry in the

administration of law and justice.

Mentally ill person is defined as a person who is in need of treatment by reason of any
mental disorder other than mental retardation.

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Embalming is a procedure by which a dead body is treated with preservatives to prevent
putrefaction.

Torture is defined as a deliberate, systematic or wanton infliction of physical or mental

suffering by one or more persons acting alone or on the orders of any authority, to force
another person to yield information, to make a confession, or for other reason.

Artificial insemination is a procedure of transferring semen into the reproductive system of

a woman other than coitus.

Maceration is a process of aseptic autolysis occurring in fetus that remains dead in the uterus
surrounded by liquor amnii.

A still-born child is the child which has issued forth from the mother after the 28th week of
pregnancy and did not any time, after being completely expelled, breathe, or shows any other
signs of life.

A dead-born child is one, which had died in uterus before the birth process begins and may
show rigor mortis, maceration or mummification at birth.

A live-born child is a child showing a sign of life, even when only part of the child is out of
mother, though the child has not breathed or completely born.

Viability means the ability of fetus to lead a separate existence after birth by virtue of certain
degree of development.

Sudden Infant death syndrome is defined as the sudden death of any infant or young child
which is unexpected by history and in whom a thorough necropsy fails to demonstrate an
adequate cause of death.

A battered child is one that suffers repetitive physical injuries inflicted by parent or
guardian, which are non-accidental in nature.

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