Medicine, Science and the Law最新文献

{"title":"Changes in suicide trends among young populations during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan and Taiwan.","authors":"Lien-Chung Wei","doi":"10.1177/00258024231173341","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00258024231173341","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18484,"journal":{"name":"Medicine, Science and the Law","volume":" ","pages":"84"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10130935/pdf/10.1177_00258024231173341.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9399660","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Drug transfer during intimate moments: A key issue in doping control that can be documented by hair tests of the athlete and the partner.","authors":"Pascal Kintz","doi":"10.1177/00258024231173346","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00258024231173346","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The presence of a prohibited substance or its metabolites or its markers in an athlete's sample constitutes the more frequent anti-doping rules violation. In the world anti-doping code, it is indicated (point 10.5) that if someone establishes in an individual case that the athlete bears <i>no fault or negligence</i>, then the otherwise applicable period of ineligibility shall be eliminated. The conditions that have to be met to fix the <i>no fault or negligence</i> evidence are described in several other points of the code. The following two points are of paramount importance: 1. the athlete or his/her legal representative must present verified circumstances of contamination and the source of contamination must be identified; and \u20282. there must be verified claims by the athlete about the fact that he/she did not knowingly take the prohibited substance, i.e., that the violation was not intentional.In recent years, several cases of contamination involving drug transfer during intimate moments have been reported. This later situation was first reported in 2009 with the Richard Gasquet case. Since that time, several athletes have been allowed to return to competition with no charge based on strong evidence that the source of contamination was drug transfer during intimate moments. As some of these cases are public and because the author performed hair tests for the majority of the international athletes involved in such procedures, the strategy of the defence and the scientific bases of discussion are reviewed in this article.</p>","PeriodicalId":18484,"journal":{"name":"Medicine, Science and the Law","volume":" ","pages":"72-76"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9444193","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Creating a system to quickly determine cause of death, and efforts that should be made to elucidate the circumstances of suicides.","authors":"Ken Inoue,&nbsp;Yasuyuki Fujita,&nbsp;Noriyuki Kawano,&nbsp;Tatsushige Fukunaga","doi":"10.1177/00258024231154220","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00258024231154220","url":null,"abstract":"In Japan, the first General Principles of Suicide Prevention (ver. 1.) was approved by the Cabinet in June 2007, and it has been reviewed every 5 years since, i.e., in August 2012 (ver. 2) and July 2017 (ver. 3). The latest/fourth version of the General Principles of Suicide Prevention (ver. 4) was approved by the Cabinet in October 2022. Suicide by women and young people has increased in recent years, and the fourth version of the General Principles proposes enhanced measures to prevent suicide among those populations. We have also cited the need to promote efforts measures to prevent suicide among people who live alone. All four versions of the General Principles of Suicide Prevention include a suggestion describing the need for \"research to elucidate the circumstances of suicide. Since version 3, the category “promoting research to help promote general principles of suicide prevention” has included “in conjunction with a system to determine the cause of death.” The first Plan to Promote Determination of the Cause of Death was approved by the Cabinet in June 2014, and the latest version of this Plan was approved in June 2021. In order to promote the determination of causes of death, accurate cause-of-death statistics must be obtained. Several years have passed since the suggestionwasmade to ascertain the circumstances of suicide in conjunction with a system to determine causes of death; however, sufficient preparations are yet to be made, and apparently more time is necessary until such a system is definitively implemented. In order to implement preventive measures in accordance with the circumstances of suicide, studies of suicide prevention measures that are based on motives for suicide are necessary, as such motives would be closely associated with the determination of the circumstances of suicide. Two sets of suicide statistics are published in Japan: statistics reported by the National Police Agency (NPA), and the Vital Statistics reported by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Only the statistics reported by the NPA list the motive for suicide. Prior to 2006, the NPA statistics provided a presumed motive for each suicide based on a suicide note or other corroborating documents, and since 2007 the NPA has provided up to three motives for suicide. The current statistics better reflect the reasons for suicide compared to the previous statistics, but the main motive for many suicides cannot be ascertained. It would thus be helpful to refer to both the currently reported statistics on suicide motives and previous statistics indicating the main motive in order to devise effective measures for the prevention of suicide. Urgently needed measures to prevent suicide could be devised by compiling a statistical report on the motives for suicide as reported by the NPA, and this compilation could be done promptly. In order to implement truly effective measures to prevent suicide, the medical system (social medicine, basic medicine, and clinical","PeriodicalId":18484,"journal":{"name":"Medicine, Science and the Law","volume":"63 4","pages":"339-340"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10215853","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dr Ann Priston OBE.","authors":"Tracy Alexander","doi":"10.1177/00258024231182604","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00258024231182604","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18484,"journal":{"name":"Medicine, Science and the Law","volume":"63 4","pages":"270-271"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10218313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Legal and human rights issues in the use of electronic monitoring (using GPS 'tracking' technology) in forensic mental health settings in the UK.","authors":"Sepand Malek, Dave Hearn, Thomas Fahy, John Tully, Tim Exworthy","doi":"10.1177/00258024231174820","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00258024231174820","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Electronic monitoring (EM) of individuals has been used by the criminal justice system for the past thirty years, and in the UK, use is on the increase. Its use has been justified as an alternative to prison to reduce recidivism and allowing early release of prisoners, however, the evidence base for this remains mixed. In 2010, it was employed for the first time in a forensic psychiatry setting. A study investigating the effects of EM on leave episodes concluded that EM may improve the speed of patient progress and reduce the length of admission, leading to reduced costs and increased public safety. However, the intervention generated considerable controversy and sparked discussion about ethical concerns. Here, we consider specifically legal and human rights issues that emerge from use of EM in forensic healthcare settings, scrutinising its use in the context of the Mental Health Act and the Human Rights Act. We conclude that EM is legal and justifiable, providing it is used judiciously and with due consideration of concerns for the individual and the given context.</p>","PeriodicalId":18484,"journal":{"name":"Medicine, Science and the Law","volume":"63 4","pages":"309-315"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10725617/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10219718","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Letter to the Editor regarding the article \"Double suicide in Japan in the post-war reconstruction period, with reference to contemporary Japan\".","authors":"Tambuzzi Stefano,&nbsp;Gentile Guendalina,&nbsp;Galante Nicola,&nbsp;Zoja Riccardo","doi":"10.1177/00258024231152183","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00258024231152183","url":null,"abstract":"We read with great interest the paper published by Satoh et al. on double suicides in Japan in the postwar period, comparing their findings with those of contemporary Japan. The authors addressed a phenomenon of great forensic interest by placing it in the context of a geographic reality in which the number of suicide pacts has been high since ancient times. We have also been dealing with this topic for some years. We agree that, although suicide pacts were more common in Asia than in the West, this difference is much less evident today. These cases also exist in Italy. In our recent retrospective analysis at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Milan (one of the main cities in northern Italy), six suicide pacts were recorded between 1993 and 2020. Our case history, although numerically smaller, is consistent with the suicide couples described by Satoh et al. Specifically, we recorded a young couple of lovers, two couples of older spouses, and two couples of friends. In addition, we also had a pair of identical twins. There were also similarities in the causes of death: acute carbon monoxide poisoning, drug ingestion, and inhalation of gas combined with plastic bag suffocation (these latter can be considered complex suicides). However, in two suicide pairs, the cause of death was gunshot injury. In light of these findings, it is very important to compare case histories from different geographic areas, as this may reveal differences related to different sociocultural settings and, at the same time, unexpected similarities. However, we would like to highlight an aspect that we believe plays an indispensable role in the proper framing of suicide pacts. Indeed, this terminology refers to all situations in which two people decide to end their lives by mutual consent. Thus, double suicides certainly fall under this definition, but so do cases of homicide–suicide with the explicit consent of the homicide victim. Therefore, the terms “double suicide” and “pact suicide” should not be understood as synonyms, but the former as a subcategory of the latter. Obviously, cases of murder–suicide without the victim’s consent are excluded. As a result, suicide pacts pose a real challenge from a medico-legal perspective, with significant interpretative problems. In this field, multidisciplinary skills are therefore required. The on-site inspection can provide essential information: the mutual position of the victims’ bodies, the condition of the clothing, the location of bloodstains, and the order and cleanliness of the room. Special attention should also be paid to the finding of a weapon near the bodies, which does not always necessarily indicate a suicide. Finally, information should be obtained about the personal background of the victims by interviewing family members and friends. Often they know about family problems, financial difficulties, or health problems that may have triggered the suicide pact. The victim’s medical history is also crucial, as it may in","PeriodicalId":18484,"journal":{"name":"Medicine, Science and the Law","volume":"63 4","pages":"337-338"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10566886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Alec Samuels (1930-2022).","authors":"Denise Syndercombe Court","doi":"10.1177/00258024231182590","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00258024231182590","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18484,"journal":{"name":"Medicine, Science and the Law","volume":"63 4","pages":"341"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10220175","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The UK's Illegal Migration Bill: Human rights violated.","authors":"Paul Arnell,&nbsp;Olayinka Lewis,&nbsp;Erika Kalocsányiová,&nbsp;Andrew Forrester","doi":"10.1177/00258024231186736","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00258024231186736","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18484,"journal":{"name":"Medicine, Science and the Law","volume":"63 4","pages":"267-269"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10219237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Specific measures to enhance suicide prevention in Japan.","authors":"Ken Inoue,&nbsp;Yasuyuki Fujita,&nbsp;Tatsushige Fukunaga,&nbsp;Noriyuki Kawano","doi":"10.1177/00258024221142660","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00258024221142660","url":null,"abstract":"The General Principles of Suicide Prevention, which are Japanese guidelines on measures to prevent suicide, were devised in 2007 and then revised in 2012 and 2017. In addition, the Cabinet approved new general principles of suicide prevention on 14 October 2022. 1 The new general principles of suicide prevention include Enhanced Support for Women, Enhanced Measures to Prevent Suicide by Children and Young People, Enhanced Community Efforts to Prevent Suicide, and Enhanced General Measures to Prevent Suicide, indicating that efforts will be particularly directed at enhanced assistance to prevent suicide by women, children, and young people. 2,3 The COVID-19 pandemic, which started in 2020 and con-tinues at the time of writing, has had an effect. Suicides in Japan decreased annually from 32,845 in 2009 to 20,169","PeriodicalId":18484,"journal":{"name":"Medicine, Science and the Law","volume":"63 3","pages":"262-263"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9915483","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The \"Right\" to refuse treatment.","authors":"Benjamin Andoh","doi":"10.1177/00258024221140660","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00258024221140660","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The \"right\" of an adult patient with capacity to refuse treatment has been very well recognized by the courts over the years. Recently, it was the central issue in this recent case, PH (by his litigation friend, the Official Solicitor) <i>v</i> Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board ([2022] EWCOP 16). This paper briefly reviews the case and goes on to present the author's views on the general \"right\" to refuse treatment and the meaning of \"right\" in the expression, \"the right to refuse treatment\". It then points out other relevant matters worth noting.</p>","PeriodicalId":18484,"journal":{"name":"Medicine, Science and the Law","volume":"63 3","pages":"253-255"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9632933","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}