ABSTRACT

Results:

When the diatoms which were obtained from tissues from internal organs and body fluids were evaluated numerically, it was seen that the diatoms that were obtained lungs were in high numbers and it was followed by the pleural liquid, stomach content and pericardial fluid, respectively. The method, which is used, it was possible to obtain plankton other than diatom from the tissues.

Conclusion:

According to the findings which were obtained swap samples, more diatoms were obtained from the nasal swap than the other swap samples. Colloidal Silica Gradient Centrifugation Method is more advantageous than traditional Nitric Acid Digestion Method because of that it is nontoxic, reliable, easy to apply and detecting plankton other than diatoms.

Materials and Methods:

Therefore, internal organ and body fluid samples that have been obtained from 30 corpses which were removed from the water and brought to the Council of Forensic Medicine to perform autopsy, were examined and diatom were obtained from samples of 19 cases. Moreover, the diatoms that were obtained from the swab samples taken from the outer body surfaces and the diatoms obtained from the internal organs were compared.

Objective:

Diatom analysis is a valuable tool in forensic science, and it is useful in the diagnosis of drowning and determination of the drowning site. The basic principle of the “diatom test” in investigation of drowning is based on correlation between diatoms are present in the medium where the possible drowning took place and inhalation of water causes penetration of diatoms into the alveolar system and bloodstream and consequently their deposition into brain, kidneys and other organs, like the bone marrow of large bones. There are various extraction methods that are used to isolate diatoms from water and tissues. Nitric acid digestion is a worldwide known method for the extraction of diatoms. In this study, it was aimed to obtain diatom by using colloidal silica centrifuge method instead of acid method besides it was aimed to compare diatom obtained from the external surfaces of body and diatom obtained from the internal organs.