Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine
Volume 17, Issue 3 , Pages 143-149 , April 2010

Visual assessment of the timing of bruising by forensic experts

  • M.L. Pilling, BMedSci (Hons) (Medical Student)

      Affiliations

    • Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of London, UK
    • ,
  • P. Vanezis, OBE PhD FRCPath (Professor)

      Affiliations

    • Cameron Forensic Medical Sciences, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of London, UK
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Address: Cameron Forensic Medical Sciences, Clinical Pharmacology, Barts and The London, London EC1M 6BQ, UK. Tel.: +44(0)20 7882 3401, mobile: +44(0)7802 563 223; fax: +44(0)20 7882 3408.
    • ,
  • D. Perrett, PhD CChem FRSC (Professor)

      Affiliations

    • Bioanalytical Science, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of London, UK
    • ,
  • A. Johnston, PhD FRCPath (Professor)

      Affiliations

    • Clinical Pharmacology, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of London, UK

Received 22 December 2008 ,Revised 22 July 2009 ,Accepted 25 October 2009.

References 

  1. Bohnert M, Baumgartner R, Pollak S. Spectrophotometric evaluation of the colour of intra- and subcutaneous bruises. Int J Legal Med. 2003;113:343–348
  2. Ewins K. Assessment of the appearance of bruising using tristimulus colorimetry. BMedSci project: Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry. Unpublished Data; 2005.
  3. Tujillo O, Vanezis P, Cermignani M. Photometric assessment of skin colour and lightness using a tristimulus colorimeter: reliability of inter- and intra-investigator observations in healthy adult volunteers. Forensic Sci Int. 1996;81:1–10
  4. Payne-James JJ. Assault and injury in the living. In: Payne-James JJ, Busuttil A, Smock W, editors. Forensic medicine: clinical and pathological aspects. London: Greenwich Medical Media; 2003. p. 543–63.
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  7. Vanezis P. Interpreting bruises at necropsy. J Clin Pathol. 2001;54:348–355
  8. Langlois NEI. The science behind the quest to determine the age of bruises – a review of the english language literature. Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2007;3:241–251
  9. Vanezis P. Interpretation of injuries, lecture given to the royal military police crime scene investigation course. Portsmouth; 2008;
  10. Hughes VK, Ellis PS, Burt T, Langlois NEI. The practical application of reflectance spectrophotometry for the demonstration of haemoglobin and its degradation in bruises. J Clin Pathol. 2004;57:355–359
  11. Anderson R, Parrish J. The optics of human skin. J Invest Dermatol. 1981;77:13–19
  12. Piérard GE. EEMCO guidance for the assessment of skin colour. J Eur Acad Dermatol. 1998;10:1–11
  13. Edwards EA, Duntley SQ. The pigments and color of living human skin. Am J Anat. 1939;65:1–33
  14. Kollias N. The physical basis of skin color and its evaluation. Clin Dermatol. 1995;13:361–367
  15. Munang LA, Leonard PA, Mok JYQ. Lack of agreement on colour description between clinicians examining childhood bruising. J Clin Forensic Med. 2002;9:171–174
  16. Hughes VK, Ellis PS, Langlois NEI. The perception of yellow in bruises. J Clin Forensic Med. 2004;11:257–259
  17. Langlois NEI, Gresham GA. The ageing of bruises: a review and study of the colour changes with time. Forensic Sci Int. 1991;50:227–238
  18. Stephenson T, Bialas Y. Estimation of the age of bruising. Arch Dis Child. 1996;74:53–55
  19. Technical Advisory Service for Images. Colour theory: understanding and modelling colour; 2004. <http://www.tasi.ac.uk/advice/creating/colour.html> [accessed 15/01/08].
  20. Bariciak ED, Plint AC, Gaboury I, Bennett S. Dating of bruises in children: an assessment of physician accuracy. Pediatrics. 2003;112(4):804–807
  21. Spalding JAB. Colour vision deficiency in the medical profession. Br J Gen Pract. 1999;49:469–475

PII: S1752-928X(09)00177-2

doi: 10.1016/j.jflm.2009.10.002

Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine
Volume 17, Issue 3 , Pages 143-149 , April 2010

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