Forensic Entomology

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Introduction Entomology is the scientific study of insects and it widely used in forensic analysis. The science of studying and analyzing insects and some arthropods such as mites and ticks as an evidence to aid in forensic investigations is called forensic entomology [2][3][4][5][6]. Amendt et al (2006) argue that insects including blowfly larvae (maggots) or adults should be considered as a physical evidence just like bloodstains, fingerprints and hair. The information obtained should be carried as an evidence at the crime scene investigation on the same level as autopsy. The main application of forensic entomology is in the determination of the post mortem interval (PMI; the time of death) in cases of suspicious death [2], which could be …show more content…

Some fly species can infest living humans and other vertebrates, causing the disease myiasis. Analysis of larvae in such cases can demonstrate the period of neglect of humans or animals [7]; the possibility of an infestation of flies must always be borne in mind when stating a minimum time since death in a forensic report …show more content…

Mégnin (1894) first expanded the methods of his predecessors and then proposed a theory, which states that a corpse that is exposed to air undergoes eight stages of change, with characteristic for each stage arthropods. Each stage of the corpse decomposition was expected to last a certain period of time with a minimal total time of three years, till debris remains. By identifying the insects on the corpse Mégnin was able to estimate PMI. His idea came at a time when scientific methods of crime investigation were gaining acceptance, and his concept was soon to be examined by others (Mégnin cited in Keh (1985)). However, it seems like forensic entomology has not started to be explored systematically until the end of the previous century. After evaluating the number of articles by Jens Amendt, Sung Tzu, Francesco Redi, Bergeret d’Arbois, and Jean Pierre Mégnin it could be concluded that those scientist are leading today's modern forensic entomology by conducting their own research, in which they determine the relationship between arthropods and

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