[Value of laryngeal injuries as evidence]

Report of two cases: Violations at soft parts of the neck and at larynx pointed to an attack against the throat by strange hand, but local vital reactions showed that the attack had been survived. A 54-year old woman had little excoriations in the skin of the neck, the right great horn of hyoid bone and the left upper process of thyroid cartilage were broken, the fractures were bloodshot. No petechiae in skin and conjunctivitis. Death occurred from a suicidal poisoning of soporifics. The attack against the throat (throttling by hand, conceded by the culprit) had been survived. That was recognizable on a clear cell-reaction in the bleedings within the muscles of the neck. A 87-year old man was found in his rummaged home. Violations of the skin in the face pointed to attacks against mouth and throat; additional maltreatment by gagging and fettering (in the meantime untied) could be supposed. -- Histological examination showed advanced cell-reaction in the wounds, partially even intracellular iron pigment; there was a superposition of old and recent injuries, but even the recent had been survived many hours. The situation of finding the corpse, bleedings inside the iliac muscles, little hemorrhages in the mucosa of the stomach and acetone in blood and urine pointed to a death lately from cold. But complete clearing-up of the case was not yet possible.