M.B.B.S 3rd year practical exams in Forensic Medicine (Foetus)

FOETUS 

If foetus is given, you'll have to comment on the age of the given fetus

 and tell few points in support of your answer.

How to proceed for age determination of fetus?

S p ec im en
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A pp rox . Le ng th o f Fe tus
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Apply Haase Rule (if less than 25cm square-root it, if greater than 25cm divide it by 5)
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A pp r ox . A g e

Rule of Hasse ..........is to calculate the age of the foetus on the basis of the length according to months of gestation, for first five months of pregnancy, age is calculated by the square root of the length in centimeters (for example, if the foetus is 16 cm, the age of the foetus would be 4 months)

For the next five months of pregancy, age is calculated by dividing the length by 5 (for example, if the foetus is 35 cm, age of the foetus would be 35/5 = 7 months)

Hence rule of Hasse is to calculate the age of the fetus when you already know its length. 

Comment upon the following:

•Length of the fetus to calculate the approximate age

•Scalp Hair present or not and length

•Eye lashes/Eyelids present or not.

•Nails present or not/soft or thick /reached tip of finger or not.

•Sex can be recognized or not.

•Signs of Viability absent/present
 Can comment on internal organs and on level of 
 meconeum whether it is in Duodenum/ Large intestine.

You should also be able to answer the 

Medico-Legal Significances of:

1. Still-born child

2. Criminal Abortion

3. Infanticide

4. Fabricated Abortion

5. Marriage

6. Divorce

7. Adoption.

8. Inheritance