1Associate Professor, Dept. of Forensic Medicine, KMCH Institute of Health Sciences and Research, Coimbatore
2Associate Professor, Dept. of Forensic Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi
3Associate Professor, Dept. of Forensic Medicine, Sree Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences, Chalakka, Kuthiyathode, Ernakulam
4Associate Professor, Dept. of Forensic Medicine, KMCH Institute of Health Sciences and Research, Coimbatore
5Professor, Dept. of Forensic Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi
*Corresponding Author, Prathilash K, Email: drprathilash@gmail.com
**moumitha.kartha@gmail.com, Mobile No.: +91 9995908170
Online Published on 03 December, 2022.
On various occasions, diatoms have come to the rescue of Forensic pathologists who were at a loss for clues about the cause of death in corpses recovered from the water. Studies have shown the presence of diatoms in organs of non-drowning deaths as well. The study was to identify the presence of diatoms in kidney tissues of persons who died due to causes other than drowning. Autopsy of 75 non-drowning cases were performed, and tissue from one of the kidneys were collected. The sample comprised 62 males (82.7%) and 13 females (17.3%). Variables such as age, sex, diet preference, and source of drinking water were collected. The kidney was subjected to acid digestion, and the presence and the type of diatoms in it was recorded. Diatoms were found in the kidney in 42 cases (56%); among this, there were 39 cases (92.8%) containing pennates and three cases (7.2%) containing centrales. There was no statistically significant relationship between the presence and absence of diatoms and the sex, age, dietary habits, or drinking water source. One significant observation was that the pennates were significantly larger than the centrales (p 0.023). The mere presence of diatoms in the kidney cannot be taken as evidence of drowning.
Diatoms, Kidney, Acid digestion technique, Drowning deaths, Non-drowning deaths
