Expert Case of Post-Mortal Soft Tissue Injuries by Mice Teeth

Relevance. Postmortem injuries caused by small rodents such as house and field mice are an important aspect of forensic pathology. Systematic data on them remain limited. The literature is dominated by descriptions of injuries caused by rats, while injuries caused by the teeth of mice are less studied. Case description from practice. A corpse of a man with a neck injury was found in a wooden house in one of the villages. A forensic medical examination of the corpse revealed a soft tissue defect on the right lateral surface of the neck and signs indicating the postmortem formation of this injury as a result of exposure to the teeth of small rodents (house mice, field mice). The establishment of the fact of the postmortem occurrence of the soft tissue defect from the teeth of small rodents, together with the discovery of an intact external jugular vein deep in the defect, made it possible to exclude the possibility of the defect forming as a result of exposure to some sharp object. Conclusion. Mice, using the specifics of their chewing apparatus, cause less damage to soft tissues, preferring to gnaw them in a hard state (for example, in winter, when the tissues become more rigid), and such damage has its own characteristic morphological features. The impact of mouse teeth can also greatly modify the picture of life-long damage. The presence of tissue fragments, hair and animal excrement in the damage serves as additional confirmation of their participation and requires careful analysis.