MEDICOLEGAL IMPORTANCE

OF BLOOD STAIN

ROLL NO 443
MEDICOLEGAL
IMPORTANCE
• CIVIL
• CRIMINAL
CIVIL

• DISPUTED PARENTHOOD
• DIVORCE AND NULLITY OF MARRIAGE
• COMPENSATION CASE
• MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE
CRIMINAL
• IDENTIFICATION OF THE VICTIM OR OFFENDEROF CRIME
HOMICIDE, SEXUAL OFFENCES ETC.
• THE CAUSE OF DEATH- DETECTION OF POISON, PATHOLOGY
• TIME OF DEATH - DIFFERENT CHEMICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL
TESTS
• TIME OF CRIME/INJURY
• CRIMINAL ABORTION
• THE MALINGERING CASE
VARIETY OF BLOOD
STAIN
• DROP

• SPLASHES OR EXCLAMATION MARK

• POOLS

• SPURTS OR SQUIRT

• SMEAR

• TRAILS
SUBSTANCES RESEMBLING BLOOD STAINS

• Rust stains: Don not have dark and gazed appearance, do not fall off in scales and soluble
in HCL
• Synthetic Dye stains; Changed to yellow by Nitric Acid
• Mineral stains; Genarally contains oxides of iron
• Vegatable stains; contains tannins which becomes black if a drop of ferric chlorides is
added
• Other stains; Spot grease, resin, tar and pitch
DETERMINATION OF BLOODSTAINS

• STAIN FOUND AT THE SCENE OF CRIME- Minor blood may also provide
significant evidence, such as smear on the door handle. Heal prints or shoe prints on
blood stained area of the body, helps in identification of the assailant
-manner of death - suicidal or homicidal
VARIETY OF BLOOD STAINS

1. Drops
2. Splashes or exclamation mark
3. Spurts
4. Trails
5. Smears and
6. Pools
DIRECTION OF FALL OF BLOOD (BLOOD SPATTER
ANALYSIS)
• A trails of blood stains, or splashes of blood on walls or furniture may encountered in a scene
of crime. It is important to determine the height and direction of fall of blood in such cases.
1. If blood falls vertically from a relatively low height, the drops are round and sharply delineated.
2. if height is increased above 30cm, the spots shows pricky edges, the projections growing finer and
larger in number with increase in height
3. Splashes of blood stricking a surface obliquely may appear like spears or exclamation marks,
depending upon the velocity and angle of fall; the pointed end indicates the direction of motion.
4. The determination of the angles of impact and placement of the Area of Origin should be based on
the consideration of a number of stains.
SOURCE OF BLOOD

• Foetal blood can be distinguished from adult blood by electrophoretic determination of

HbF or alpha fetoprotein (AFP)
• Menstrual Blood is detected on the basis of absence of fibrin content in it.
• Blood of pregnancy and abortion/ Parturition can be differentiated bybthe presence of
chrionic gonadotropin or heat stable alkaline phosphatase. Detection of certain types of
alkaline phosphatase and placental lactogen would enable the identification of placental
blood
AGE OF BLOOD STAINS

• Fresh stains are moist and sticky, and on drying, they stiffen the cloth because of the
proteins.
• Fresh stains on light coloured clothes are of bright red colour, which gradually changes to
reddish brown in 24 hours, and brown within a few days , which may become black after
a long time.
• Progressive decrease in solubility of blood stain in various aqueous solutions , with age.
• Changes in enzyme activities of blood cells.
SEX AND AGE OF PERSON
• At Birth , the blood forms a thinner and softer coagulum. The presence of foetal
haemoglobin indicates that the blood is derived from a child
ANTEMORTEM OR POSTMORTEM
FRESH BLOOD OR MENSTRUAL BLOOD
MEDICOLEGAL APPLICATION OF BLOOD GROUPS

• Disputed Paternity- The question of disputed paternity arises in the court in the following
conditions
1) When a child is born in lawful marriage, but the husband denies that he is the father of the child
2) When a child is born out of lawfull marriage, and the mother accuses a certain man of being the
father of the child, while the man dwnies the accusation
3) When a women pretends pregnancy and delivery and obtains a child claiming it as her own, in
order to obtain a share in her husband’s property
4) In suits for nullity of marriage.
• Disputed Paternity- Qhen the same child is claimed by two women, or when two children are
interchanged either by accident or by designbin maternity home or hospital, or supposititious child, and
when a women kidnapping a child and claiming to be the mother of that child, blood grouping test are
helpful.
• Stains due to body fluids- The blood group agglutinogens can be demonstrated in stains on clothes due
to semen, sweat, saliva, nasal secretion, urine, or faeces in persons who are secretors.
• Identity- When an individual has some rare blood group , he can be identified with certainty. But when
they are of common type , they are not of use.
• Cause Of death- In certain cases, Cause of death can be established, eg., incompatible blood transfusion.
Poisons can be detected in the blood.
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