This revised edition of a much praised survey of the fundamental principles of clinical forensic medicine has been completely updated and expanded to address the latest developments and professional concerns. There are new chapters on the medical aspects of police restraint, including injuries that may occur with handcuffs and truncheons, the use of crowd-control agents, substance misuse problems in custody, and the management of bites, head injuries, and self-inflicted wounds. Additional new material can be found on the potential of police exposure to infection, the role of alcohol and drugs in vehicular accidents, and forensic sampling in sexual assault examinations. The chapters on fundamental principles, nonaccidental injury in children, and the care of detainees are all fully revised, as are the appendices (now containing a list of useful websites).
Authoritative and up-to-date, Clinical Forensic Medicine: A Physician's Guide, Second Edition offers forensic specialists and allied professionals a reliable guide to good practices and procedures for every variety of police inquiry requiring clinical forensic investigation.
Zusammenfassung
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), now in its 175th year, has a long tradition of working with doctors. In fact, the origin of the forensic p- sician (police surgeon) as we know him or her today, dates from the passing by Parliament of The Metropolitan Act, which received Royal Assent in June of 1829. Since then, there are records of doctors being appointed to the police to provide medical care to detainees and examine police officers while on duty. The MPS has been involved in the training of doctors for more than 20 years, and has been at the forefront of setting the highest standards of wo- ing practices in the area of clinical forensic medicine. Only through an awa- ness of the complex issues regarding the medical care of detainees in custody and the management of complainants of assault can justice be achieved. The MPS, therefore, has worked in partnership with the medical profession to ensure that this can be achieved. The field of clinical forensic medicine has developed in recent years into a specialty in its own right. The importance of properly trained doctors working with the police in this area cannot be overemphasized. It is essential for the protection of detainees in police custody and for the benefit of the criminal justice system as a whole. A book that assists doctors in the field is to be applauded.
Inhalt
History and Development of Clinical Forensic Medicine.- Fundamental Principles.- Sexual Assault Examination.- Injury Assessment, Documentation, and Interpretation.- Nonaccidental Injury in Children.- Crowd-Control Agents.- Medical Issues Relevant to Restraint.- Care of Detainees.- Infectious Diseases.- Substance Misuse.- Deaths in Custody.- Traffic Medicine.