Zum Beweiswert der Stauungs- und Weichteilblutungen beim Erdrosseln und Erwürgen

Summary

14 fresh cadavers of adult persons were placed with the head or body tilted in atypical positions 3 to 65 hours after death. The persons concerned were neither asphyxiated nor had they suffered cranial trauma. Hypostasis in the head and neck occurred more rapidly and intensively the deeper the cranial parts of the body were placed. In the simulated cadaver positions, artificialecchymoses were observed in only a few places, mainly in the eyelids, the conjunctiva, the galea and the temporal muscles except when the head was vertically downwards. Just as with the postmortem haematomas, the hypostatic settling to the plane of the heart was decisive.

The experiments have shown that such generalised ecchymosis as occurs in death by throttling and/or choking can never be simulated by postmortem hypostasis. For true strangulation, ecchymoses in the skin of the face, the eyelids, the conjunctivae, in the mucous membranes of the lips, gums, cheeks, tongue, pharynx, tonsils, palate, larynx, nose, the submandibular glands and possibly of the cervical glands are obligatory.Haematomas formed in the musculature of the neck only when the body was lying supine or on its back and in the laryngeal region when the head was vertically downwards; in the throat and neck muscles when the face was lowest; and when lying prone, with the body tilted at least 15°, in the throat and neck muscles and in the laryngeal region. In contrast to intravital bleeding into the soft tissues, in death by strangulation or after blunt cranial traumas pseudo-ecchymoses and pseudo-haematomas both in the galea and also in the temporal muscles were mainly limited to the lowest hypostatic area. Macroscopically these haematomas could not be differentiated from intravital haematomas as, for example after throttling and/or choking. In doubtful cases it must therefore be established whether the cadaver was found in an atypical positon with the head hanging down. If necessary, the fact that true intravital ecchymoses or haematomas may have been overlayed or intensified by hypostasis must be borne in mind.

Zusammenfassung

Experimentell wurde geprüft, unter welchen hypostatischen Bedingungen am menschlichen Leichnam petechiale Blutungen bzw. Pseudoekchymosen und -hämatome an Kopf, Hals und Nacken entstehen. Eine nahezu charakteristische komplette Ekchymosierung war nur nach Scheitellage (Kopfstand) zu erreichen. Hämatome entwickelten sich nach kopflastigen Bauchlagen und Scheitellage. Teilweise waren sie, ebenso wie die Ekchymosen, nicht von intravitalen Blutungen z.B. nach Erwürgen und/oder Erdrosseln zu unterscheiden. Außerdem stellten wir Pseudohämatome in den Weichteilen des Hirnschädels fest, welche Gewalteinwirkungen vortäuschten.

In Zweifelsfällen muß der gesamte Status (Totenflecke, Vibices, Ekchymosen, Hämatome) in Verbindung mit der atypischen Kopftieflage gewürdigt werden. Dabei ist zu berücksichtigen, daß auch intravital entstandene Ekchymosen und Hämatome durch Hypostase überlagert und verstärkt werden.