[Statistical and medico-legal investigations on traumatic intracranial injuries (except traffic accidents) on which judicial autopsies conducted].

Judicial autopsies conducted during the period of 24 years and 3 months (Jan 1963-Mar 1987) at Department of Legal Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine have been recorded a total of 1,157 cases including 256 cases caused by the traumatic intracranial injury death. In this report statistical investigations conducted on 112 cases caused by traumatic intracranial injury death with exception of 144 cases caused by traffic accidental death, and the outline of several cases on those are stated. 1) Out of 112 death cases including 80 male and 32 female cases, 13 cases--younger than 15 years of age, 4 cases--16 thru 19, 12 cases--20 thru 29, 23 cases--30 thru 39, 22 cases--40 thru 49, 19 cases--50 thru 59, 8 cases--60 thru 69, and 13 cases--older than 70 years of age were specified respectively. 2) The above 112 death cases included 79 murder cases, 29 accidental cases including 1 case occurred in line of duty and 4 suicide cases. Murder cases were further broken down by the arms and/or locations into 39 cases caused by knocking and/or kicking, 12 cases making use of metal tools, 10 cases on the ground or floors, 6 cases making use of glass tools, 5 cases making use of wooden tools, 4 cases making use of sharp blade tools and other 3 unidentified cases. 3) Out of all death cases epidural hemorrhage and subdural hemorrhage indicated such majority in numbers and percentages as 54 cases or 48.2% and followed in the order of 26 cases of contusion with bone fracture or 23.2%, 11 cases of brain edema or 9.8%, 8 cases of subarachnoidal hemorrhage or 7.1%. 4) In case of the death caused by the bruise sustained on the occipital region, casualties on gyrus frontale were recognized by 97%, while the bruise located on other than the occipital region, injuries were recognized by 51% on the opposite region, and the remaining 49% of it showed injuries on the same region of the sustained. 5) In regard to traumatic subarachnoidal hemorrhage, contributing possibilities of the condition of its easy occurrence, especially the region of effect by the pressure elements of external force, the direction of primary dominant function, drinking effects and so forth were discussed. 6) The outlines of some interesting and/or instructive cases encountered during processing investigations were discussed.