Forensic medicine or legal medicine is the branch of medicine that interprets and establishes the medical facts in civil or criminal law cases & involved
in cases concerning mental illness,blood relationship, injury, or death resulting from violence & many more.
People admitting to the casualty wards following road traffic accidents & assaults is a very common.
Of them, with the police & medico-legal investigations some of these “minor” looking cases can go to the court & sometimes end up in imprisonment to the one party.
Therefore having some knowledge in this particular area very important for your own good.
The following kinds of hurt only are designated as “grievous” (බරපතල තුවාල) according to the penal code of Sri Lanka:-
1. emasculation-to deprive (a man) of his male strength, role, etc.
2. permanent privation or impairment of the sight of either eye
3. permanent privation or impairment of the hearing of either ear
4. privation of any member or joint-damaging a joint/ its componenets
5. destruction or permanent impairment of the powers of any member or joint
6. permanent disfiguration of the head or face
7. cut or fracture, of bone, cartilege or tooth or dislocation or subluxation, of bone, joint or tooth
8. any injury, which endangers life or in consequence of which an operation involving the opening of the thoracic, abdominal or cranial cavities is performed
9. any injury which causes the sufferer to be in severe bodily pain or unable to follow his ordinary pursuits, for a period of 20 days either because of the injury or any operation necessitated by the injury