This is the cornerstone of forensic pathology. Terms used to describe traumatic lesions are somewhat more specific than analogous terms used in surgery and internal medicine. A. Laceration is a tearing injury due to friction or impact with a blunt object. B. Incised wound is a cutting injury due to slicing action of a bladelike object. The wound edges are smooth.
Serrated blades produce the same smooth edges as do nonserrated blades.
C. Puncture is a penetrating injury due to pointed object without a blade, such as an ice pick. D. Abrasion is a friction injury removing superficial layers of skin, allowing serum to exude and form a crust. E. Contusion is a bruise due to rupture or penetration of small-caliber blood vessel walls. F. Gunshot wounds represent a special form of trauma very important to forensic pathology. Contact wounds over the skull may have a stellate appearance because of expulsion of hot gases from the barrel which are trapped against the outer table of the skull and blow back toward the exterior, ripping apart the skin around the entrance wound.