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Detection and significance of blood in firearms used in contact gunshot wounds
Dissertation (MSc(Medical Criminalistics))--University of Pretoria, 2006.
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| Format: | Thesis |
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University of Pretoria
2013
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| _version_ | 1867613438174298112 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Saayman, Gert |
| author_browse | Saayman, Gert |
| author_facet | Saayman, Gert |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2003, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Dissertation (MSc(Medical Criminalistics))--University of Pretoria, 2006. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/24476 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:36:08.960Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2013 |
| publishDateRange | 2013 |
| publishDateSort | 2013 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/24476 Detection and significance of blood in firearms used in contact gunshot wounds Saayman, Gert upetd@up.ac.za Visser, Jo-Mari Muzzles firearms Forensic sciences Gunshot wounds Firearms Suicide UCTD Dissertation (MSc(Medical Criminalistics))--University of Pretoria, 2006. Firearm fatalities in South Africa are responsible for a very large number of fatalities. For purposes of judicial administration, determination of manner of death, in particular, differentiating between homicidal, accidental and suicidal death, is one of the primary objectives in fatal shooting investigations. Determining the muzzle-target distance can assist in establishing the manner of death, since contact gunshot wounds are seldom seen in cases of homicidal or accidental death. It has been reported that muzzle-target distance can be confirmed by detection of blood back spatter on the inner and outer surfaces of the weapons. To determine whether this phenomenon was being used to assist the forensiometric analysis of fatalities, a study was undertaken whereby weapons used to inflict fatal contact gunshot wounds in victims presenting at the Pretoria MLL, were requested for biological analysis during the period June 2002 to June 2003. Of the 123 cases identified, only 30 firearms were delivered to the FSL for analysis. Blood was found on the inside of barrels in 70% of cases, and the outer surface in 40%. These figures do not correlate well with international studies. The very low retrieval rate of weapons for analysis precludes the use of an important forensiometric tool in medico-legal investigation of firearm related fatalities in Pretoria. The urgent need to develop adequate protocols with respect to police handling of weapons is hereby confirmed. Forensic Medicine unrestricted 2013-09-06T17:38:22Z 2005-05-18 2013-09-06T17:38:22Z 2004-04-16 2006-05-18 2005-05-09 Dissertation Visser, J-M 2003, Detection and significance of blood in firearms used in contact gunshot wounds, MSc dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://hdl.handle.net/2263/24476 > H251/ag http://hdl.handle.net/2263/24476 http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-05092005-095812/ © 2003, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | Muzzles firearms Forensic sciences Gunshot wounds Firearms Suicide UCTD Detection and significance of blood in firearms used in contact gunshot wounds |
| title | Detection and significance of blood in firearms used in contact gunshot wounds |
| title_full | Detection and significance of blood in firearms used in contact gunshot wounds |
| title_fullStr | Detection and significance of blood in firearms used in contact gunshot wounds |
| title_full_unstemmed | Detection and significance of blood in firearms used in contact gunshot wounds |
| title_short | Detection and significance of blood in firearms used in contact gunshot wounds |
| title_sort | detection and significance of blood in firearms used in contact gunshot wounds |
| topic | Muzzles firearms Forensic sciences Gunshot wounds Firearms Suicide UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/24476 http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-05092005-095812/ |