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Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology
Published in: Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology 2/2009

01-06-2009 | Ballistics Review

Historical overview of wound ballistics research

Author: Nick Maiden

Published in: Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology | Issue 2/2009

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Abstract

Ballistics involves the study of the scientific properties of projectiles, their behavior and their terminal effects on biological tissues and other materials. Wound ballistics deals with the analysis of injuries caused by projectiles and the behavior of projectiles within human or other biological tissues. The nineteenth century witnessed the development of both of these areas with Kocher’s hydrodynamic theory and the understanding of the significance of bullet deformation in causing tissue injury. The degree of traumatic disruption of tissues and organs was also related to direct energy transfer from projectiles. While subsequent research has concentrated on elucidating further mechanisms of injury, the exact cause of remote tissue damage from high energy projectiles is still the subject of ongoing research. Much of the contemporary literature regarding wound ballistics concentrates on the forensic aspects and their application for legal purposes, in particular the investigation of shooting scenes. There have been many advances in this area, particularly in relation to the identification of various types of gunshot wounds and how their appearance can be used to establish if a shooting was accidental, deliberate (homicidal) or self inflicted (suicidal).
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Metadata
Title
Historical overview of wound ballistics research
Author
Nick Maiden
Publication date
01-06-2009
Publisher
Humana Press Inc
Published in
Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology / Issue 2/2009
Print ISSN: 1547-769X
Electronic ISSN: 1556-2891
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-009-9090-z

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