title: Electrocution during sexual activity.
abstract: In late summer several years ago, the county medical examiner was called by the police to view two bodies found in bed in a private home. The home belonged to a 39-year-old caucasian male whose body was one of those found in the bed. The other body was that of a 31-year-old caucasian female. The female body overlaid that of the male. It was obvious that the couple was engaged in sexual relations when they died. The deaths apparently were related to the use of an elaborate apparatus utilizing electrical current for stimulation. A heavy metal rod measuring 22 cm in length and 2.5 cm in diameter was inserted 18 cm into the male's rectum. A small wire was attached by a rubber band leading to a Variac voltage regulator. There was a metal rod 20 cm long with a rounded tip 1 cm wide tapering to 0.75 cm in the shaft. A metal ring was attached to the exposed end and the male partner's index finger was touching it. The rod was inserted 18 cm into the female's rectum with a similar wire attached and leading to the voltage regulator. The regulator was set at 90 volts, but the dial could be turned up to 130 volts. In the room nearby were other stimulation devices, including a La Vida vibrator on a bed table and a Niagara type vibrator found under the bed. On the bed table was also noted a 1-lb. jar of lubricating cream. The couple was last seen alive more than 24 hours before. Third-degree burns were found in the rectum and vagina with perforation of the posterior vagina and anterior rectum in the female victim. In the male victim, third-degree burns were noted on the tip of the left index finger, the rectum, and the penis. The voltage regulator was plugged into a wall socket when the police arrived.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002058:Burns, Electric / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010262:Paraphilic Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D010413:Penis / Q000293:injuries; D012007:Rectum / Q000293:injuries; D014621:Vagina / Q000293:injuries