Don’t know if this was ever posted here, very interesting book.
This is the first time I’ve ever seen it. Thank you very much for posting this. Some great info.
Just a warning there are a number of autopsy photos in this so not very kid friendly.
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Looks interesting. Browsed through some of it the information seems good and the author points out things that are often misrepresented by the media and even ill informed gun owners. And yes, there are some rather graphic pictures.
I always wondered what the Glaser round would do. The Xray was interesting.
Been going through it for a couple hours. Lots of good info besides GSW’s. Pictures are zoomed in black & white (for anybody who is on the fence)
Is there a color version?
I found this on page 392 of the book:
If a 9-mm hollow-point bullet expands (mushrooms) to 12 mm in passing through an organ, the amount of tissue crushed and shredded will, theoretically, be greater than if the bullet did not expand or if it was a solid bullet. In reality, a solid or non-expanding bullet may produce equal if not more direct injury to tissue, if it tumbles after achieving penetration while the hollow-point doesn’t. Solid bullets may even be more lethal than mushrooming bullets. As a general rule, mushrooming bullets do not penetrate as deeply as solid bullets because they mushroom. If the aorta, for example, is 14 inches from the skin surface and the mushrooming bullet stops after 12 inches of penetration but the solid bullet travels for 18 inches, then the solid bullet is more lethal than the hollow-point.
There is no objective proof that in real-life situations mushrooming of a bullet plays a significant role in increasing lethality or the “stopping power” of the bullet. This is because of the other factors that can also influence the amount of tissue destruction and incapacitation, e.g., the organ injured, the state of the organ at the time of impact (distended or collapsed), the stability of the bullet, and the emotional state of the victim, etc.
I performed post mortem photography for a couple of years for my department in the seventies on homocide,suicide,and questionable death cases.I learned a lot working with two very good pathologists.All in living color,of course.The one case that amazed me was a man who attempted suicide with a 12 ga.slug.His skull was split in half with the right side hanging down.He lived,was airlifted to Emory,recovered after massive surgery and died of unrelated natural causes aboiut four years later.The damage that is often done internally,even by small calibers can be extensive. The toughest autopsy to get through is your first one,but the images remain with you. When my best friend was killed in the line of duty on June 10,1972,I was unable to do the PM and had to call on another detective.
Another thread about this book
The information in this book is somewhat dated. I read this book when I found it in the medical library of a large trauma center I used to work at. That was almost 20 years ago. A lot has changed in bullet technology since that time.
Bullets and military (and civil) ordnance and projectiles have changed. Human anatomy and physiology have not.
The US Army WWII wound studies, Doctor (Colonel) Marty Fackler’s findings and research, and Doctor DiMaio’s books have been especially notable texts as they were written based on hands-on post-mortem experience and not on modeling or jello.
Something about being elbows-deep in real patients or cadavers that gives first-person observations their weight. It may not be correct, it may not be expected or as forecast, but it is observed and recorded.
Any data can become dated. Its the value as true reference that gives it worth.
I had the opportunity to witness autopsies while investigating shootings and several involved a 9mm. Shot placement was the most significant factor in how the person responded to being shot. In some cases hollow points did not expand and exited the body. In some cases fmj projectiles did not exit the body. In a few cases organ damage was significant when a hollow point bullet did not penetrate deeper than roughly 1/2 torso with a cross chest shot. The worst damage I ever saw that was inflicted by a handgun cartridge was from a .38 caliber Glaser Safety Slug.
I don’t think the make up of the human body has changed significantly over the past 25 years, but the use of drugs such as methamphetamine seems to be more prevalent in our area.
Projectile design has improved dramatically over the years, so I am not sure Dr. DiMiao’s conclusions would apply today. I am more interested in knowing how quickly the person reacted and how they reacted after being shot.
In response to the question about the availability of a color version in post # 6, for a lot of years crime scene photos were black and white even when color film was readily available.
Thanks for the link to the book. I haven’t read all of it, but I think it is interesting.
I read the book 15+ years ago. Very influential but I agree that a book written when we all had dial telephones might be a bit dated. MoI still the same, but bullet design has certainly changed - bonded for instance.
While bullet technology has changed, I would argue that Americans have too. There is an obesity problem in this country after all. Maybe the FBI protocol needs to be adjusted, given the extra “padding” most Americans have today.
Anyone thats spent any time caring for people that get shot on a regulas basis can give anecdotal evidence about wierd things they have seen. I havent read his book, but it would be interesting to see how it jives with my patients.
^^^ Reading this I recall an Old West story (subsequently retold in a fictional novel) where an obese woman took a couple of arrows to the belly during an Indian raid and received only superficial non-life threatening wounds.
There’s something to consider about that.
Again, shot placement still is key (not much difference in tissue thickness at the bridge of one’s nose).
Perhaps in this case, it was neither the Indian nor the Arrow!