INJURY AND ITS KINDS UNDER MEDICAL JURISPRUDENCE

INJURY AND ITS KINDS UNDER MEDICAL JURISPRUDENCE

1. Introduction

Injury and wound are usually intermixed with each other. Reality is that these two terms are different from each other. Main difference between them is that all wounds can be injuries while all injuries cannot be wounds. There are various kinds of injury and different punishment has been provided for each kinds of injury.

2. Meaning under section 44 of Pakistan Penal Code

The word injury denotes any harm whatever illegally caused to person in body, mind, reputation or property.

i. Meaning under Medical Jurisprudence

An injury means a solution or disruption of anatomical continuity of any tissues of body.

3. Different Kinds of Injury

Under Pakistan Penal code, different kinds of injury have been mentioned in form of itlaf-i-udw, itlaf-i-salahiyyat-udw, shajjah, jurh and all kinds of other hurt. As far as medical jurisprudence is concerned, followings are kinds of injury.

i. Thermal Injury

For explanation of thermal injury, following points are important

a. Meaning

Tissue injury, which results from application of heat in any form to external or internal surface of heat, is termed as thermal injury.

b. Forms

Followings are different forms of thermal injury:

b-i. Injury due to explosion

Such injury can be cussed by flame, missiles, blast or hot gases.

b-ii. Radiation Burn

Radiation burn can be caused by those electric voltages currents which are produced during thunderstorm, and which reach earth and cause injuries to people.

b-iii. Chemical Burn

When injury is caused by some chemical substance like acid, such injury is called chemical burn.

b-iv. Electric Burn

Electric burn can be due to lightening, sparks, flash or electric contract.

b-v. Scald

If moist heat, which some boiling liquid or gaseous form of liquid produces, causes some injury, such injury is called scald.

b-vi. Simple Burn

When hot material or flame ceases some injury, such injury is called simple burn.

ii. Regional Injury

For explanation of regional injury, following points are important

a. Meaning

Regional injury means that injury, which can be caused on different parts of human body.

b. Forms

Following are different forms of regional injury:

b-i. Face

Injuries on face are considered grievous hurts, and they can be caused on eyes, nose and teeth.

b-ii. Neck

Usually injuries on neck are in incised forms. In most of cases, these injuries are homicidal or suicidal ones. However, such injuries can also be accidental ones in some cases.

b-iii. Chest

Chest injuries can be caused on heart, ribs, and lungs and so on. Such injuries can be in forms of closed wounds and open wounds. In most of cases, such injuries are accidental or homicidal ones. However, such injuries can also be suicidal ones in some cases.

b-iv. Head

Most of head injuries are accidental or homicidal once. Such injuries can be in forms of injuries to scalp, skull and brain.

b-v. Bones

Bone fractures are bone injuries.

b-vi. Abdomen

Injuries to abdomen are either closed injuries or open injuries. Blunt objects can cause closed injuries while open injuries are stab injuries.

iii. Mechanical Injury

For explanation of mechanical injury, following points are important

a. Meaning

If some injury is caused to human body through physical violence, such injury is called mechanical injury.

b. Forms

Some forms of mechanical injury are abrasions, stab wounds, bruises, incised wounds, lacerations, fabricated wounds, firearm wounds, and defense wounds.

iv. Accidental Injury

For explanation of accidental injury, following points are important.

a. Meaning

These are those injuries, which are caused by traffic accidents.

b. Forms

Injuries of scalp, lacerated wounds and chest injuries are different forms of accidental injuries.

4. Fabricated Injury

Following points are important for explanation of fabricated injury.

i. Meaning

When some person causes injury on his own body or allows another person to cause some injury on his body, such injury is called fabricated injury. It reveals that such injury is, in fact, forged or fictitious injury.

ii. Forms

As some person can cause fabricated injury on his body or another person, with his permission, can cause such injury, therefore fabricated injury can be self inflicted injury or can be friendly handed injury,.

ii. Purpose

Main purpose of fabricated injury is to prove victim’s false charge against accused.

iii. Fabricated Injury & Chare

Fabricated injury remains fruitless to support charge against accused especially when medical legal report reveals that such injury is either self inflicted one or friendly handed one.

5. Difference between Ante-mortem & Post-Mortem Injuries

Following are main differences between ante-mortem and post-mortem injuries

i. Freezing of blood

Blood, which comes out of ante-mortem injury, freezes around injury and surrounding of injury while blood, which comes out of post-mortem injury, does not freeze but it will be flowing.

ii. In case of Blunt weapon

If ante-mortem injury has been caused by some blunt weapon, blood will freeze under skin. However, blood will not freeze under skin when post-mortem injury has been caused by blunt weapon.

iii. Color of Injury

Color of ante-mortem injury will be pink where as color of post-mortem injury will be white.

iv. Edges of Injury

Edges of ante-mortem injury will be open due to reaction of skin and muscular tissues, but edges of post-mortem injury will not be open.

v. Swelling

In case of ante-mortem injury, there will be swelling. However, swelling will not be present very near to post-mortem injury.

vi. Skin & Muscular Form of Injury

Skin and muscular form of ante-mortem injury will be shrunk and turned out while skin and muscular form of post-mortem injury will not be shrunk and turned out.