The Knot of the Affair. Discrepancies Between Strangulation and Hanging According to French Forensic Physicians from the 19th and Early 20th Centuries

Abstract

The aim of this work is, through an historical and bibliographical study, to follow the history of the particular
case of strangulation hidden by hanging which has been a field of research for more than a century in forensic
medicine and science.
From a part of the history of forensic medicine, we have been able to define items discriminating hanging from
strangulation with a ligature.
The examination of lesions on the neck, skin marks, ligatures and the crime scene is key in the diagnostic of
these different types of violent death. Assessing diagnosis of hanging by ligature has always been problematic. The
first works about hanging and strangulation, especially in the late nineteenth century, have brought sufficient
knowledge to the forensic physician to determine which type of violence the victim has suffered. These nineteenth
century works remain current references.