ABSTRACT

A total of 720 forensic cases were examined and forensic reports were documented at the Department of Forensic Medicine of Gülhane Military Academy of Medicine between January 1995 and December 2002. Of the cases, 646 (90%) and 74 (10%) were male and female, respectively, and 504 (70%) and 216 (30%) were military personnel and civilian people, respectively. The mean age of the cases was 24.42±10.14 (1-85) years. Analysis of the types of the forensic cases revealed that traffic accidents constituted most of the cases (43.3%), and the remaining cases were assaults and batteries (27.2%), gun shot wounds (12.2%) and stab wounds (6.5%). Military prosecutors, commanders of the local military units and public prosecutors demanded forensic reports in 36%, 23% and 19% of the cases, respectively. Number of the forensic cases increased in the months of Spring and Summer. Concepts known and administered by the physicians documenting forensic reports will change and new concepts will be added in the new Turkish Criminal Law, which will be administered after June 1, 2005. In this study, we aimed to review the epidemiological features of the forensic reports, which were documented at the Department of Forensic Medicine of Gülhane Military Academy of Medicine through a period of seven years, and to discuss these reports in the view of the new Turkish Criminal Law.