abstract: During a judicial inquiry, the forensic doctor is frequently required to examine the hospitalized fire victim. He has to produce a certificate on the burns, defining their origin, seriousness and prognosis. The expert assessment of serious burn victims consists in an overall evaluation of functional and psychological sequelae, and can be conducted only after the long period of treatment needed for them to heal. The expert must know the forensic rules concerning the specific features of sequelae that follow a cutaneous burn injury. The forensic doctor can intervene where a body is discovered, and the aim of the autopsy is to check if burns were the cause of death. The most common lesions observed are serious thermal burns and they are frequently associated with inhalation of fumes. Often the body is carbonized to conceal a homicide therefore it is crucial that postmortem results are compared with the police investigation data. Due to modifications to the body brought about by fire and charring, a specific protocol for identification is required, especially in the event of a disaster.
authors.affiliation: Service de médecine légale, CHU Rangueil, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Costagliola
authors.affiliation: Médecin légiste, expert honoraire prés la cours de Cassation, Paris, France.
authors.forename: J-P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Campana
authors.affiliation: Professeur émérite de chirurgie plastique, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Costagliola