Analysis of Diatom Detection Result for Immersed Bodies in Honam Area in 2008

Department of Forensic Medicine, Chosun University School of Medicine, Gwang-ju, Korea, ysk007@hotmail.com

Department of Forensic Medicine, Western District Office, National Forensic Services, Gwang-ju, Korea

Death by drowning is one of the most common cause of death worldwide, and the diagnosis of fatal drowning through postmortem examination is not always confirmative. Although many autopsy findings of drowning have been described so far, all these macroscopical signs are non-specific and moreover disappear quite rapidly in the process of decomposition. The combination of autopsy findings and diatom test can provide useful indication for the tentative diagnosis of drowning, but the value of the diatom analysis is still argued. The aim of the present study is to investigate the diagnostic usefulness of diatom test for the drowning death in Korea. The authors reviewed the result of 87 cases of diatom test in the autopsy file and analyzed it by parameters of the common diatom species, monthly frequency, the difference between sea and land water, and the correlation between the test result and the decision of cause of death. The result revealed no definite seasonal variation of diatom detection or no species difference between sea water cases and fresh water cases. The detection rate of diatoms in systemic organs of all cases was 11.49% and that of drowning cases was 9.43%.

Key words : drowning, diatom, diagnostic usefulness, monthly frequency, autopsy

Original article