Histological Alterations in the Internal Organs of Wistar Han Rats (Rattus norvegicus) Euthanized by Five Different Methods.

Selecting a method of euthanasia is an important step in designing research studies that use animals; euthanasia methods must be humane, cause minimal pain and suffering to the animal, and preserve the tissue architecture of the organs of interest. In this study, we evaluated the histomorphology of the internal organs (lung, spleen, heart, kidney, liver, brain, and adrenal gland) of rats submitted to five different methods of euthanasia, with the goal of determining which protocol caused the least alteration of histomorphology. Twenty adult Wistar Han rats (Rattus norvegicus) were divided into 5 groups of 4 rats each (2 females and 2 males) and were euthanized by CO2 or isoflurane inhalation, sodium thiopental or xylazine plus ketamine overdose, or decapitation. All euthanasia was performed in accordance with published guidelines and local legal require- ments. Necropsy was performed immediately after euthanasia. Specific internal organs were removed and placed in formalin and submitted for routine histologic processing. Histomorphological examination of hematoxylin and eosin-stained tissues revealed circulatory alterations in multiple organs, predominantly congestion in multiple tissues, pulmonary hemorrhage, and hepatic degeneration. The euthanasia methods that induced the most severe alterations were exposure to CO2 and anesthetic overdose with xylazine plus ketamine or sodium thiopental. Euthanasia by overexposure to isoflurane caused less damage, and the alterations were of minimal severity. Decapitation resulted in the lowest incidence of lesions in multiple organs but due its traumatic nature, it caused the highest incidence of pulmonary hemorrhage. In selecting a method of euthanasia, factors to consider are the species of animal, the purpose of the research, and the practical ability to perform the procedure to achieve maximal animal welfare without iatrogenic changes that could compromise the outcome and reproducibility of the study.

Inmates beheaded in a Brazil prison riot: Human identification by ear individual signs.

Deaths that occur in prisons riots can be by extreme violence. When unrecognizable corpses are referred for examination, the process of human identification is hampered. The aim of this study is to present applicability in human identification by ear individual signs in an inmate beheaded in Brazil prison riot. Ten prisoners died in the rebellion being discussed. Seven corpses had been burned, and three of them were beheaded. For the examination, only two heads were presented. Three families were consulted. They informed that suspect 1 had a "front tooth failure" in the anterior maxilla and no dental records, while a second family brought a panoramic radiograph (suspect 2) and the last family (suspect 3) sent one photograph. Suspects 2 and 3 were considered incompatible. Information about suspect 1, such as "front tooth failure" in the anterior maxilla and anthropological facial aspects, provided compatibles clues. The absence of dental documentation stimulated the search for other characteristics conserved in the head under study. The left ear presented good conservation for a comparative method. Morphological ear variations enabled identification to be achieved for an inmate beheaded in a prison riot, demonstrating the method's applicability and reliability. The certainty of the death of a relative allows the normal grief process to start, decreasing psychological morbidity. Mixed feelings between hope and despair are reduced. Therefore, this is a high priority for forensic experts in these cases.

Lampião, Lages, Lombroso: the autopsy of the bandit king of the Brazilian backlands.

Lampião, the most infamous Brazilian brigand leader, was killed and decapitated during an ambush in 1938. The Alagoas police coroner, Dr. José Lages Filho, performed an autopsy of his head. Strongly biased toward the anthropologic ideas of the famous Italian psychiatrist and criminalist Cesare Lombroso, the examination found only a few of the so-called criminal inborn traits. The Lombrosian doctrine and a number of related theories strongly influenced medical and political reasoning in the first half of the 20th century. Modern genetic and neuroscientific studies are still looking for the potential biological roots of misbehavior and criminality.

Bioarchaeological evidence of decapitation from Pacopampa in the northern Peruvian highlands.

Little is known about the precise date of the emergence of decapitation in a ritual context and the presence of systematic postmortem modification patterns in the ancient Central Andes. The ceremonial complex at Pacopampa in the northern Peruvian highlands provides early osteological evidence of decapitation in six individuals dating to the latter half of the Late-Final Formative Periods (500-50 BC) and to the Early Cajamarca Period (AD 200-450). Based on osteological evidence, and when taken together with archaeological settings and settlement patterns, researchers can be certain that those whose heads were disembodied were not likely to have been involved in organized battles. In addition, the similarities in the cut-mark distribution, direction, and cross-sectional morphology of each individual's remains, as well as the characteristics of selected individuals, imply that the decapitated individuals were carefully prepared using a standardized method and that those who modified the heads may have been professional decapitators. This study offers indisputable bioarchaeological evidence of ritualistic offerings of human skulls and systematic postmortem modification patterns, which is consistent with a contemporaneous iconographic motif of decapitation and extends the chronology of this practice back to the Formative Period in the northern Peruvian highlands.

Lampião, Lages, Lombroso: the autopsy of the bandit king of the Brazilian backlands / Lampião, Lages, Lombroso: a autópsia do Rei do Cangaço

ABSTRACT Lampião, the most infamous Brazilian brigand leader, was killed and decapitated during an ambush in 1938. The Alagoas police coroner, Dr. José Lages Filho, performed an autopsy of his head. Strongly biased toward the anthropologic ideas of the famous Italian psychiatrist and criminalist Cesare Lombroso, the examination found only a few of the so-called criminal inborn traits. The Lombrosian doctrine and a number of related theories strongly influenced medical and political reasoning in the first half of the 20th century. Modern genetic and neuroscientific studies are still looking for the potential biological roots of misbehavior and criminality.

RESUMO Lampião foi o líder cangaceiro mais famoso do Brasil. Foi morto e decapitado após emboscada em 1938. O Dr. José Lages Filho, perito médico-legal da polícia de Alagoas, realizou a autópsia parcial, restrita à cabeça. O exame focalizou essencialmente a busca de traços físicos característicos do chamado criminoso nato, de acordo com a teoria antropológica criminal desenvolvida pelo psiquiatra italiano Cesare Lombroso. A doutrina de Lombroso e outras com ela relacionadas influenciaram fortemente o raciocínio médico e político na primeira metade do século 20. Seus ecos são ainda hoje perceptíveis em estudos genéticos e neurocientíficos contemporâneos, que seguem procurando as raízes biológicas dos desvios comportamentais e da criminalidade.

The Oldest Case of Decapitation in the New World (Lapa do Santo, East-Central Brazil).

We present here evidence for an early Holocene case of decapitation in the New World (Burial 26), found in the rock shelter of Lapa do Santo in 2007. Lapa do Santo is an archaeological site located in the Lagoa Santa karst in east-central Brazil with evidence of human occupation dating as far back as 11.7-12.7 cal kyBP (95.4% interval). An ultra-filtered AMS age determination on a fragment of the sphenoid provided an age range of 9.1-9.4 cal kyBP (95.4% interval) for Burial 26. The interment was composed of an articulated cranium, mandible and first six cervical vertebrae. Cut marks with a v-shaped profile were observed in the mandible and sixth cervical vertebra. The right hand was amputated and laid over the left side of the face with distal phalanges pointing to the chin and the left hand was amputated and laid over the right side of the face with distal phalanges pointing to the forehead. Strontium analysis comparing Burial 26's isotopic signature to other specimens from Lapa do Santo suggests this was a local member of the group. Therefore, we suggest a ritualized decapitation instead of trophy-taking, testifying for the sophistication of mortuary rituals among hunter-gatherers in the Americas during the early Archaic period. In the apparent absence of wealth goods or elaborated architecture, Lapa do Santo's inhabitants seemed to use the human body to express their cosmological principles regarding death.

[Skull cult. Trophy heads and tzantzas in pre-Columbian America]. / El culto a los craneos. Cabezas trofeo y tzantzas en la America precolombina.

INTRODUCTION: The skull cult is a cultural tradition that dates back to at least Neolithic times. Its main manifestations are trophy heads, skull masks, moulded skulls and shrunken heads. The article reviews the skull cult in both pre-Columbian America and the ethnographic present from a neuro-anthropological perspective. DEVELOPMENT: The tradition of shaping and painting the skulls of ancestors goes back to the Indo-European Neolithic period (Natufian culture and Gobekli Tepe). In Mesoamerica, post-mortem decapitation was the first step of a mortuary treatment that resulted in a trophy head, a skull for the tzompantli or a skull mask. The lithic technology utilised by the Mesoamerican cultures meant that disarticulation had to be performed in several stages. Tzompantli is a term that refers both to a construction where the heads of victims were kept and to the actual skulls themselves. Skull masks are skulls that have been artificially modified in order to separate and decorate the facial part; they have been found in the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan. The existence of trophy heads is well documented by means of iconographic representations on ceramic ware and textiles belonging to the Paraca, Nazca and Huari cultures of Peru. The Mundurucu Indians of Brazil and the Shuar or Jivaroan peoples of Amazonian Ecuador have maintained this custom down to the present day. The Shuar also shrink heads (tzantzas) in a ritual process. Spanish chroniclers such as Fray Toribio de Benavente 'Motolinia' and Gaspar de Carvajal spoke of these practices. CONCLUSIONS: In pre-Columbian America, the tradition of decapitating warriors in order to obtain trophy heads was a wide-spread and highly developed practice.

Acephaly: further evidence for disruption but not for amniotic bands.

Complete absence of the fetal head in singleton pregnancies is a very rare defect; to our knowledge there are only 7 reported cases. Decapitation by amniotic bands has been considered as the most probable cause. However, in none of the described cases except one were amniotic bands, constriction rings, or other related findings observed, raising the possibility that mechanisms other than amputation by amniotic bands are involved. We present a further case of acephaly and discuss the role of amniotic bands and alternative mechanisms of decapitation and a possible sequence of events leading to acephaly.

Shrunken head (tsantsa): a complete forensic analysis procedure.

Based on the analysis of shrunken heads referred to our forensic laboratory for anthropological expertise, and data from both anthropological and medical literature, we propose a complete forensic procedure for the analysis of such pieces. A list of 14 original morphological criteria has been developed, based on the global aspect, color, physical deformation, anatomical details, and eventual associated material (wood, vegetal fibers, sand, charcoals, etc.). Such criteria have been tested on a control sample of 20 tsantsa (i.e. shrunken heads from the Jivaro or Shuar tribes of South America). Further complementary analyses are described such as CT-scan and microscopic examination. Such expertise is more and more asked to forensic anthropologists and practitioners in a context of global repatriation of human artifacts to native communities.

El reinado del terror: observaciones neurológicas durante la decapitación / The reign of terror: neurologic observations during decapitation

El período comprendido entre junio de 1793 y julio de 1794 fue conocido en Francia como ¨El reinado del terror¨ o simplemente ¨El Terror¨. El levantamiento que ocurrió con el destronamiento de la monarquía, la preocupación de una invasión por parte de poderes monarquistas foráneos y el temor de una contrarrevolución por parte de los partidos pro monárquicos, todos combinados, condujeron a la nación al caos y al gobierno a un frenesí de locura. La mayoría de las reformas democráticas introducidas por la revolución fueron suspendidas y ejecuciones al mayor fueron llevadas a cabo mediante la guillotina, instrumento introducido por el Dr. Joseph Guillotin para proveer de una muerte efectiva y rápida. El tribunal revolucionario sentenció entre quince y cuarenta mil personas incluyendo a nobles, ciudadanos de a pie, intelectuales, políticos y prostitutas sin o con pocos motivos. La sospecha de ¨crímenes contra la libertad¨ fue suficiente para ganarse una cita con ¨Madame Guillotine¨. Algunos arguyeron que el instrumento lejos de ser rápido e indoloro, producía la más profunda y horrible tortura: el saber que se sería guillotinado y algunos estaban convencidos que existía una ventana de unos 25 segundos durante los cuales la cabeza decapitada respondía parpadeando o moviendo los ojos al llamado y retenía el reflejo corneal hasta por dos minutos

The period from June 1793 to July 1794 in France was known as the ¨Reign of Terror¨ or simply ¨the Terror¨. The upheaval following the overthrow of the monarchy, fear of invasion by foreign monarchist powers and the fear of counterrevolution from pro-monarchy parties within France all combined to throw the nation into chaos and the government into frenzied paranoia. Most of the democratic reforms of the revolution were suspended and wholesale executions by guillotine, the instrument introduced by Dr. Joseph Guillotine to provide a swift a death. The Revolutionary Tribunal sentenced between 15 000 and 40 000 of nobles, commoners, intellectuals, politicians and prostitutes on little or no grounds. Suspicion of ¨crimes against liberty¨ was enough to earn one an appointment with ¨Madame Guillotine¨. Some felt the guillotine, far from being quick and painless, was an instrument of the most profound and horrible torture: to be aware of having been beheaded, and some felt that there was window of awareness of some of twenty five seconds in which the decapitated head blink and move the eyes on command, and retain corneal reflex a two minutes span

Decapitación humana en Amato, Valle de Acarí, Perú / Human decapitation Amato, Acari Valley, Peru

Excavaciones arqueológicas efectuadas en el sitio de Amato, del Valle de Acarí, Perú originaron el hallazgo de varias decenas de esqueletos humanos con inconfundibles signos de haber sido decapitados. Los hallazgos fueron descubiertos al interior de un recinto ubicado en la parte central del sitio arqueológico. Con algunas excepciones, los hallazgos consisten de deposiciones en grupos y donde los cuerpos habían sido arrojados, y posteriormente enterrados, sin mantener arden alguno. Una mayoría de los esqueletos estaban perfectamente articulados e indica el contexto original de los hallazgos. Las evidencias aquí referidas provienen de contextos pertenecientes a las fases iniciales del Período Intermedio Temprano (circa 50 a.C. -300 d.C.) y tienen directa relación con las así llamadas « cabezas trofeo. ¼

In this report I present the recent discovery of the remains of several dozen individuals uncovered during the archaeological excavations carried out at the Early Intermediate period (circa 50 BC. – AD. 300) site of Amato, in the Acari Valley, of the south coast of Peru. The bodies, all found in an excellent state of preservation, had been thrown in awkward positions and piled in disarray at several locations within the central area of the site. One of the most intriguing characteristics of the skeletons is that they are headless; as such, the findings have direct connection with the so-called «trophy heads. ¼ Cut marks were also observed in many cervical vertebrae, suggesting that the heads were removed while the soft tissue was still present. The remains include individuals of all ages and both sexes.