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Resume La pratique de l’expertise judiciaire necessite la connaissance d’un certain nombre de principes juridiques, ethiques et deontologiques. La mission de l’expert est clairement definie par le juge qui le designe. Ainsi, il est appele a executer sa mission en toute impartialite en respectant un arsenal de principes proceduraux et de regles deontologiques, pour repondre aux questions posees. L’expert doit etre objectif, libre et impartial. Il doit avoir la competence medico-legale, la justesse de raisonnement et recourir en cas de besoin a un avis specialise. Il est imperatif que le technicien respecte les principes de la procedure : execution personnelle de la mission dans les delais impartis et respect du principe du contradictoire. Enfin, l’expert, comme tout praticien, est tenu au secret professionnel et ne doit reveler aucune information qui n’est pas inscrite dans sa mission. Ainsi, le secret peut etre oppose a l’expert par ses confreres et ce dernier doit opposer le secret a toutes les personnes qui ne sont pas les destinataires prevus de son rapport.

Death following accidental suffocation due to overlaying is often overlooked, and still attributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). We report a case of sudden infant death following accidental suffocation due to breast overlaying during breastfeeding. We report the death of a two-month-old male baby, without medical history, who was found lifeless wedged under his mother’s breast. The mother subsequently admitted that she had fallen asleep while breastfeeding and awoke a few minutes later to find him wedged under her breast and not breathing. External examination of the infant’s body revealed right frontal congestion with reddish-purple colour of the right frontal skin corresponding to where the mother’s breast had overlaid his face with bilateral conjunctival petechiae with no signs of external injury. Internal examination revealed congestion with petechiae marks of the internal side of the right frontal scalp, with moderate congestion and few petechiae marks at the level of the lungs. The histopathological examination showed non-specific passive congestion, with no abnormalities. The cause of death was attributed to accidental suffocation following obstruction of external airways by the mother’s breast during breastfeeding. Accidental asphyxia cases require extensive investigation of the circumstances surrounding death, reconstruction of events, and careful documentation of the findings observed at autopsy with full histological examination which may become relevant in a specific case in later stages of the investigation.

Resume L’accueil d’une victime d’agression souleve pour le medecin certains problemes ethico-juridiques dont la resolution doit etre envisagee au cas par cas. Entre l’obligation de denoncer a la justice l’atteinte a l’integrite de patient et de garder le secret medical, l’interet de la victime risque d’etre perdu de vue par le medecin. Cet interet reside egalement dans la redaction d’un certificat medico-legal materialisant les blessures subies et pouvant servir d’element de preuve dans un eventuel proces contre l’auteur de l’agression. Cet article rappelle les implications medico-legales de la prise en charge d’une victime d’agression physique et definit les grandes lignes de la redaction d’un certificat de coups et blessures.

Resume Dans notre societe ou le monde carceral est longtemps reste un sujet tabou en raison de la violence qu’il represente, l’etat de sante des prisonniers reste une priorite de la societe. Le principe d’equite conduit a soigner des personnes privees de liberte aussi bien que d’autres. Malgre les conditions difficiles du milieu de detention, l’exercice de la medecine n’echappe pas aux regles de la deontologie. Les medecins sont soumis aux memes principes que dans tout autre mode d’exercice. Ainsi, la qualite des soins doit etre assuree, tout en respectant les personnes, avec notamment une grande vigilance quant au secret medical. Prendre soin des prisonniers n’est pas une simple evidence. En effet, des qu’il s’agit de droits quelconques, les detenus sont generalement relegues. Quels sont leurs droits en ce qui concerne la protection de leur sante en prison et pourquoi l’etat devrait il depenser de l’argent pour la sante de ceux que leurs actes ont conduit en prison ; Un apercu sur le droit international, l’ethique medicale et les questions de sante publique s’avere necessaire pour repondre a ces questions 1 . Par ailleurs, la pratique d’une medecine dans le strict respect de ses regles deontologiques est un exercice difficile, voire impossible, aupres du patient detenu. Elle presente une specificite liee, d’une part, aux caracteristiques de la population qui s’y trouve et, d’autre part, a l’environnement particulier que represente la prison, institution securitaire regroupant des individus sanctionnes par la justice. Cependant, les principes deontologiques generaux doivent s’appliquer et servir de guide pour assurer les meilleurs soins aux patients1.

Background: Carbon monoxide threatens its victims with sudden anoxic death and severe neurological sequelae. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive and analytical retrospective study on 14 cases of deaths due to Carbon monoxide poisoning collected at the Forensic Department of Ibn Rochd University Hospital in Casablanca (UHC), over a two years period from January 2018 to December 2019. Results: Among the 14 deaths, there were nine (N=09) male victims (64%) and five (N=05) female (36%), aged 25 to 44 years in 43% of cases and 45 to 64 years in 36% of cases. Vast majority of cases (86%) involved accidental household poisoning. A water heater was incriminated in 36%. The source of Carbon monoxide was related to a defective device (36%). Neurological signs such as disturbances of consciousness were the most common (92%) symptom. The peak poisoning period (50%) occurred in December. Autopsy revealed pulmonary petechial spots (14%) and congestion of most organs. Carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) was positive in 8 cases with a rate> 5%, including 3 victims with no history of smoking and > 10% among 5 smokers. The value was negative for two victims who received oxygen therapy during hospital resuscitation efforts. The COHb level was indeterminable in 4 cases of which 3 victims were in advanced decomposition and one was exsanguinated. Conclusion: Prevention is key in reducing the morbidity and mortality of Carbon monoxide poisoning that can cause sudden anoxic death and severe neurological sequelae.

The patient was unknown man in his twenties who was found lifeless in plane’s landing gear compartment of Moroccan Royal airline operating flight from Conakry to Casablanca. The autopsy was performed 24 hours after the body was found. External examination of the body revealed traumatic skin abrasions and scrapes more pronounced on the chest, abdomen and limbs. The body was very frozen and Rigor mortis had already set in. Internal examination revealed brain congestion with pinkish color of the white matter, moderate hemothorax in right pulmonary cavity with fracture of 6th right rib and moderate contusion of lower lobe of the right lung. No other remarkable abnormalities were noted of other organs. Therefore, the cause of death was judged to occur as a result of the combined effect of hypothermia and thoracic trauma, based on the circumstances of the case and climatic conditions where the deceased was in, and the autopsy findings.

Background: Filicide is the murder of a child by one of the parents. We report a case of filicide covered up as an accidental fall. Case Report: First year male child was beaten to death by his father. This latter reported the incident as an accidental fall. Postmortem examinations revealed skin bruises with bites marks, brain subdural hematoma and subarachnoid hemorrhage. The cause of death was head trauma, and the manner of death was criminal act. Conclusion: Forensic pathologist should verify any information reported by the parents and compare it with the postmortem examinations to determine the circumstances of death.

Background: Body packing is the concealment of illicit drugs enclosed in containers inside the body by swallowing or insertion into the rectum or vagina, usually for transportation to escape detection by customs agents. This report seeks to explore ways of establishing general definition of body packer in the Moroccan context and assess it’s possible implications on data collection and future research. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive and analytical retrospective study of two fatal cases related to Cocaine toxicity of body packers. The deceased underwent an autopsy at Medico-legal institute of Ibn Rochd University Hospital (UHC) of Casablanca, Morocco. Cases presentation: In these index cases, 02 male youths of foreign nationality in their twenties died in Casablanca airport. The young men took ill at the airport. Abdominal CT scan subsequently performed at the hospital revealed intra-abdominal capsules in both cases. Autopsy showed 47 whitish capsules in the stomach and colon in the first case and 67 similar capsules in the small intestine in the second case. Rapid toxicology testing in the forensic laboratory confirmed the powder to be cocaine. The cause of death was secondary to acute intoxication by leakage of cocaine substances from their packaging. Conclusion: Prevention and compliance with the legislation governing drug trafficking activities, are of vital interest in reducing the incidence of youth use as vectors of drugs and mortality consequence.

Background Atractylis gummifera L. is a poisonous thistle plant that grows in the Mediterranean regions especially in northern Africa like Morocco and southern Europe. It has been used frequently to treat some diseases in traditional medicine, and its ingestion is a common cause of fatal poisoning. Here, we report 3 death cases in children after accidental ingestion of the Atractylis gummifer L. Cases reports We report 3 cases of death in children after accidental ingestion of the poisonous plant Atractylis gummifer L. The poisoned children were admitted to hospital in deteriorated general state with clinical symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, epigastric, and abdominal pain, diarrhea, followed by coma. However, they died a few hours later. The postmortem investigations were performed, and the diagnosis of Atractylis gummifer L. poisoning was confirmed by toxicological examination (chromatography), the latter showed the presence of atractyloside (potassium atractylate), a toxic compound of the plant Atractylis gummifera L.Atractylis gummifer L. poisoning was discussed with review through the literature. Conclusions Through the presented cases, we show that Atractylis gummifera L. poisoning remains a health problem that involves children in Morocco, where the plant grows spontaneously. Thus, teaching children to recognize dangerous plants will be helpful to prevent accidental ingestion.