Tentative cuts are seen in: September 2011
Correct Answer: Suicidal death
Description: Ans. B: Suicidal deaths Hesitation cuts derive their name from the hesitation with which these incisions are inflicted by a person intending to commit suicide by a cutting instrument. The preliminary cuts are known as tentative cuts Hesitation cuts are not found in homicidal assaults Hesitation/ tentative wounds They are defined either as: any cut or wound that is self-inflicted after a decision is made not to commit suicide, or any tentative cut or wound that is made before the final cut that causes death. Such wounds are usually superficial, sharp, forced skin cuts found on the body of victims. These less severe cutting marks are often caused by attempts to build up courage before attempting the final, fatal wound. Non-fatal, shallow hesitation wounds can also accompany the deeper, sometimes fatal incisions. Although hesitation cuts are not always present in cases of suicide, they are typical of suicidal injuries. However, the presence of hesitation marks alongside or near to the final fatal mark usually indicates a forensic diagnosis of suicide over other possible causes of death. Hesitation wounds are generally straight-line marks at the elbows, neck/throat, and wrists, although in a few cases they occur in the general area of the upper middle pa of the abdomen (near the hea). Wounds made by people attempting suicide are typically made at an angle related to the hand that holds the weapon. The angle of such hesitation wounds is usually in a downward flowing direction because of the natural motion of the arm as it sweeps across the body. Hesitation wounds are often made under clothing, with paicular pas of the clothing being paed to expose the target area of the body. Instruments used to inflict hesitation wounds are generally those found around the living quaers of the person attempting suicide. Such instruments include kitchen knives, single-edge and double-edge knifes, pocket knives, hatchets, razor blades, screwdrivers, and other sharp objects. People who have previously attempted suicide, but have not succeeded in their endeavor, will often carry visible scars from hesitation wounds.
Category:
Forensic Medicine
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