The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

He paused briefly, then continued, ”During the initial examination, besides the multiple obvious rib fractures on the deceased’s chest, there was one detail that particularly caught my attention.”

As he spoke, he moved lightly, walking slowly to the right side of the autopsy table, carefully lifting the deceased’s skull, adjusting it to an angle convenient for observation by all.

He extended his gloved index finger, precisely pointing to the upper central part of the forehead bone.

”Please take a close look here—on the deceased’s forehead, there is a very subtle, yet indeed present, bone surface depression.”

”Normally, human skull structure is smooth and complete, especially the forehead area where the bone is thicker and evenly curved; such localized depressions should not appear.”

”Its presence alone indicates a critical issue: the deceased must have experienced a concentrated impact on this area before death.”

He paused briefly, continuing to analyze, ”It’s worth noting that this depression is shallow with relatively blurry edges, and there are no accompanying radiating fracture lines, suggesting that the impact force was not significant.”

”Therefore, we can conclude that this area is also an important point of impact that cannot be ignored.”

As his words fell, his colleagues, who were hesitating, were drawn in, gathering around instinctively.

Under the intense and even illumination of the shadowless lamp, every detail of the skeleton was revealed without hiding.

The crowd concentrated, indeed clearly identifying the small, subtle depression different from the normal bone surface at the tip of Jiang An’s finger.

”Now, please redirect your attention to the complete skeleton we have restored according to the anatomical position of the human body.”

”Currently, what we see is that these fractured ribs are independent and separately broken, which means each fracture point likely corresponds to an independent force process.”

”Now, if we connect this newly discovered impact point on the forehead with these scattered rib fracture points, a pattern gradually becomes clear.”

”Imagine the front of the forehead being impacted while multiple ribs in the chest separately fractured—these points of force are distributed along the front top and thoracic cavity area of the body, collectively outlining a rough contact surface.”

”This scenario fits very well with a specific angled impact, possibly using a tool with multiple contact points or a special attack method, forming a distribution similar to a triangular plane or multi-point contact.”

As he spoke, he extended his right hand, using his index finger to draw a standard equilateral triangle in the air, pausing deliberately at each corner, as if emphasizing the peculiarity of this shape.

”I’ve been repeatedly pondering, experimenting on what kind of contact method could create such a large area, such regular damage traces on the human body.”

”Until just now, looking at this three-dimensional model, it suddenly became clear to me—such a force distribution precisely matches the characteristic of pressure applied by a stable structure simultaneously.”

Upon hearing this, Political Commissioner Li leaned forward slightly, nodding thoughtfully.

He pondered for a moment, then asked, ”Mr. Jiang, your discovery is indeed enlightening.”

”However, I have a question I’d like to ask. According to your analysis of the points of force, we can see that the deceased’s sternum has obvious fractures.”

”In this case, if the deceased were walking normally and suddenly lost balance, falling forward, could it also be possible to hit some flat, hard surface, causing similar fractures in these areas?”

This reasonable speculation immediately resonated with the participants.

Everyone instinctively followed this line of thought into contemplation.

However, Jiang An slightly raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a meaningful smile.

”Political Commissioner Li, the situation you mentioned is indeed common in forensic practice, and I have dealt with many similar cases.”

”But in this skeleton, such a possibility can be virtually excluded.”

”Please imagine a scenario: when the human body is in a normal forward-falling state, our motor nerves will instantly activate a series of protective mechanisms.”

”First, the arms will instinctively extend forward in an attempt to cushion the impact; second, the neck will naturally bend, causing the head to tilt at a certain angle downward; most importantly, the face will become one of the first parts to come into contact with the ground.”

As he spoke, he demonstrated the corresponding actions, ”This instinctive protective reaction will cause the facial bones, especially the cheekbones, mandible, and nasal bones, to bear the main impact force.”

”In the vast majority of forward-fall cases, we can find linear fractures in the nasal bones, but it won’t cause fractures in the chest or forehead.”

As he spoke, he turned to point to the nasal area, ”But puzzlingly, in this skeleton, the nasal bone is intact, without even the slightest bone crack.”

”Instead, in areas not normally easily subjected to direct force, like the central forehead bone, body of the sternum, and the anterior sides of the ribs on both sides, there are large areas of symmetrical comminuted fractures.”

At this moment, Mr. Qin frowned tightly, asking, ”If hit by a vehicle, shouldn’t the prominent parts of the face, such as the bridge of the nose and the cheekbones, be the first to bear the impact, resulting in fractures?”

”The circumstances of this case are completely unreasonable, it is indeed too contradictory!”

Upon hearing this suspicion, Jiang An’s mouth slightly lifted, revealing a composed smile.

”Mr. Qin, you’re right, but there’s a key detail here that deserves our attention.”