The Dead T-shirt Contest

Name: ______________________________________     Date: _____________     Period: _____
Return to The Crime Lab
Introduction    Materials    Procedure    Data/Results    Conclusion

Introduction:

    It is important to be able to determine the location of an injury in order to determine the likelihood that a particular injury was fatal.  Much of that relies upon knowledge as to the location of the internal organs affected by the injuries in question.  Today's lab simulates four dead bodies, each from a separate crime.
    There are four types of t-shirts in today's activity that have been marked with various types of wounds.  The victim's names are as follows:

John Doe Jane Doe (no relation)
Jane Q. Citizen John Q. Public

Throughout the course of the activity, you need to identify the location of each of the wounds using the proper directional terms, general body regions (thoracic, abdominal, etc.), the 9 abdominal regions and the 4 abdominal quadrants.

Materials:

  1. Four Extra Large T-shirts with diagrams of up to 6 injuries

  2. Worksheet for describing the location of the injuries

  3. Worksheet with diagrams on which to draw the location of the injuries

Procedure:

  1. Each pair of students will take a T-shirt and the taller student will put it on over her/his clothes
         Note: The positions are based on the student being tall, so the taller student needs to wear the shirt,

  2. Using the worksheet, both students will diagram the injuries.

  3. The injuries need to be numbered on the diagram.

  4. Describe in words (using the proper directional terms, general body regions (thoracic, abdominal, etc.), the 9 abdominal regions and the 4 abdominal quadrants.), the location of each numbered injury for each T-shirt.
    NOTE: Complete Steps 1-4 for one shirt before you go on to another shirt!

  5. Repeat steps 1-4 with each of the other 3 shirts.

Data/Results:

John Doe

1.                                                                                     4.

2.                                                                                     5.

3.                                                                                     6.
 

Jane Doe

1.                                                                                     4.

2.                                                                                     5.

3.                                                                                     6.
 

Jane Q. Citizen

1.                                                                                     4.

2.                                                                                     5.

3.                                                                                     6.
 

John Q. Public

1.                                                                                     4.

2.                                                                                     5.

3.                                                                                     6.
 

Conclusion (1/2 Page):

    Describe any ease or difficulty you had in describing the location of an injury using words alone, and compare that to indicating an injury in a diagram.  Lastly, for what reason, or under what circumstances, are the words necessary (i.e., why use words at all?)?  BE CAREFUL HERE, as the words describing direction ARE necessary!