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ABSTRACT
Background: India is a significant host to homeless unknown persons (HUPs) and subsequently to their untimely deaths due to various reasons. The autopsy-based evaluation has been always important in knowing the exact reasons behind it. Objective: To know about the epidemiological mortality profile such as magnitude, cause and manner of death, seasonality, and year-wise distribution of their untimely and unattended deaths. Materials and Methods: A retrospective autopsy-based evaluation of unnatural deaths among HUPs was done at LHMC, New Delhi for a total duration of 5 years (January 2006 to December 2010). Results: Out of 749 cases in the study group in this duration, 536 deaths have been caused due to some natural events and 213 due to some unnatural events. Among the natural deaths, the pulmonary pathology did contribute for 509 cases. Conclusion: The study population is a vulnerable segment of the society which often suffers the extreme adversity of natural and unnatural events in the form of their deaths. It is a significant host to the pulmonary infections that often spread to the other segments of the society at the point of contact. Thereby it deserves an urgent public health intervention and a policy response for the same for the well-being of HUPs and the general public at large.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Disclosure of Funding
This study does not involve receiving of any kind of funding from anybody for its conduction, so no disclosure of any kind of funding is required for the same.
Notes on contributors
Dr. B. L. Chaudhary is currently working as a professor in the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi. He is a very dynamic medicolegal expert in India and has vast experience in dealing with medicolegal cases with a special interest in those of homeless unknown persons.
Dr. Raghvendra Kumar Vidua is currently working as an assistant professor in the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhopal. India. He has 13 years experience in dealing with various types of medicolegal cases including sexual assault cases, bone age estimation, drunkenness examination, wound examination, poisoning cases, paternity and maternity dispute cases, exhumation cases, forensic psychiatry cases, death on table, and medical negligence cases.
Dr. Parthasarathi Pramanik is an Indian forensic expert working as a consultant forensic pathologist, Government of Jamaica, Institute of Forensic Science and Legal Medicine, Kingston, Jamaica. He has vast experience in solving medicolegal cases and was also associated with Bob Woolmer case.
Dr. Arvind Kumar is currently working as a professor in the department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi. He has vast experience in dealing with medicolegal cases.
Dr. Sukhdeep Singh is currently working as a professor in the department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi. He is a young, dynamic, knowledgeable, and experienced medicolegal expert in India.
ORCID
Raghvendra Kumar Vidua http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4183-7870
Parthasarathi Pramanik http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8820-9009