Forensic Doctor 2003: I Became a Legend on the Front Lines of Criminal Investigation

The spleen, as a blood storage organ in the human body, has a very thin membrane.

However, even if it is only three millimeters thick, it must be broken by a sharp object or by a huge pressure.

Jiang Chen looked into the entire abdominal cavity of the deceased.

The abdominal cavity remains intact; there is no change in shape, such as the cylindrical shape of the human body becoming flattened after being hit and run over in a traffic accident.

Therefore, spleen rupture caused by pressure on the body has been largely ruled out.

So, if we rule out that possibility, there is probably only one other cause for spleen rupture: being stabbed by a sharp object.

But then another problem arises!

If the human body is a relatively intact structure, with no broken skin and no external connection to the abdominal cavity, where would such a sharp object be?

Jiang Chen pondered there for a long time.

He looked around and saw that his abdominal cavity was covered in blood.

Seeing Jiang Chen's deeply furrowed brows, Li Jian spoke again, "Brother Jiang Chen, why don't we leave the body here and invite the city bureau leaders to come and examine it?"

"If we don't find the ultimate cause and the autopsy is delayed, then the subsequent procedures will be very difficult."

Upon hearing this, Wang Hui reached out and tugged at Jiang Chen's arm, saying, "Brother, I know you're young and ambitious, eager to make a name for yourself. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. How about we invite some experts from higher levels to come and give us some pointers this time?"

At the critical moment, Jiang Chen suddenly turned his head and glanced at Wang Hui.

Her gaze was firm, fixed solely on him.

For a moment, Wang Hui felt a little intimidated by the gaze.

If a beautiful woman is watching you here, it definitely means she's interested in you.

If a teacher looks at you like that, you'd definitely feel a little guilty.

But what does it feel like to be stared at directly by a forensic doctor?

At that moment, Wang Hui experienced it.

The forensic doctor's eyes were cold and piercing. He then took two steps back and said, "Brother, I have no grudge against you. I'm just offering a suggestion, purely out of good intentions."

Immediately afterward, Jiang Chen smiled and said, "Senior Brother Wang, thank you for reminding me, I understand."

"The rupture of this spleen most likely originated from the ribs."

"rib cage?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jian and Wang Hui looked surprised.

They had also seen the city bureau's forensic doctors conduct autopsies on several occasions.

At this point, it is indeed hard to believe that the ribs pierced the spleen.

Because the ribcage they saw had not yet shrunk or deformed.

Then, Jiang Chen explained, "There is a lot of blood in the abdominal cavity right now. We must remove the blood and examine the ribs where the spleen is located to see if they are deformed or cracked."

"The ribs are bony structures. Just like when we go to the market to buy pork ribs, when the ribs are cut, there are likely to be some small bone spurs."

"In this situation, it is entirely possible for the spleen, which is located close to the broken rib, to rupture locally."

Jiang Chen spoke with great conviction, though this was merely his initial conjecture.

Then, he bent down and looked at the forensic scene investigation kit on the ground, and paused for a moment.

He said after a while, "Hey, why isn't there a teacup in here? If there were a teacup with a handle, it could easily scoop out the blood from the abdominal cavity."

Wang Hui immediately understood and then offered up a mineral water bottle from his hand.

He said, "Come on, I'll finish this bottle of mineral water, and you use this to collect the blood. Take it out bottle by bottle."

After listening, Jiang Chen nodded and said, "That's a good idea, but the opening of the mineral water bottle is too small. I'll use scissors to cut the mineral water bottle in half and make it into a cylindrical object."

Jiang Chen quickly took the mineral water bottle, cut it open, and scooped out the blood.

One cup, two cups, three cups, four cups...

After scooping out the fifth cup, the blood in the abdominal cavity was basically all scooped out.

At this moment, he looked at the area where the spleen had been removed, and sure enough, there were two separate points where the spleen was suspended from the tenth rib.

However, some bone spur-like changes can be vaguely seen in these two separated sections.

However, at this point, there was still a lot of blood in the abdominal cavity, making it difficult to see clearly.

Then he used cotton to wipe the bloodstains clean.

Two minutes later, he turned to Li Jian and said, "Captain Li! Please look. There's a comminuted fracture at the end of the left 10th rib under the armpit, near the spleen."

"A comminuted fracture?"

What is a comminuted fracture?

Seeing the surprised looks on their faces, Jiang Chen explained, "A comminuted fracture is when a rib is broken into three or more segments; this is called a multiple fracture."

"Look at this area, where the spleen is in contact with the bone, the broken ends of the ribs are uneven, and the tip is quite large."

Immediately afterwards, Jiang Chen put the spleen that had just been removed back in its original place: "You see, this sharp point can just cause a local rupture of the spleen."

Seeing this, Li Jian and Wang Hui exchanged a glance and nodded slightly when their eyes met.

Wang Hui said in surprise, "So that's how it is. I've finally learned something this time."

At this moment, Li Jian and Wang Hui both looked at Jiang Chen, both feeling somewhat incredulous.

Wang Hui gave a thumbs up and said, "Brother Jiang Chen, I didn't expect that someone who studied veterinary medicine would be so familiar with the structure of the human body."

"You can't tell at all from the outside. I'm just curious what you were thinking?"

After hearing this, Li Jian also looked at Jiang Chen, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

Jiang Chen smiled and said, "They mainly come from forensic pathology books."

This is the reason he has always given himself.

If you tell someone that this is a talent, that's obviously a lie; no one is born to be a forensic doctor.

Therefore, learning from books is definitely the best reason.

No one doubts your conclusion; they will only say that you study very hard and have a thorough understanding of the material.

Li Jian stared at the broken ribs for a long time and said, "There are more than three fractures in this area."

"Can we now determine whether his fracture was caused by being struck by someone, or is it possible that it was a localized fracture due to an accidental impact?"

Before Jiang Chen could speak, Wang Hui spoke first.

He stroked his chin and said, "I think both possibilities exist. If his left ribs happened to hit a rock while he was drunk, it could easily cause a local fracture, and if the fracture punctured his spleen, it could also cause internal bleeding."

Then, he turned to ask, "Brother Jiang Chen, a ruptured spleen shouldn't cause immediate death, right?"

After listening, Jiang Chen nodded and said, "The spleen is a blood storage organ. The rupture is relatively small, and the bleeding is a process; it won't cause immediate death."

"However, theoretically, there are two ways to cause a rib fracture. One is by direct impact from a hard object, such as a fall that causes a rib fracture, followed by the broken end of the rib piercing the spleen. The other possibility is that the rib is fractured by being struck by someone else."

Upon hearing this, Li Jian opened his mouth and said, "If that's the case, then things seem complicated."

"Is it possible to determine from a technical standpoint whether the cause was a collision or a blow?"

Soon, Li Jian and Wang Hui both turned their gazes toward Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen pondered for a long time before saying, "Judging from the outcome, either is possible! But..."