Defence wounds are of great significance in differentiating manner of unnatural deaths i.e. Homicide, Suicide and Accident. In an assault,the natural reaction of the victim is to protect oneself and certain vital parts of the body like eyes, face, chest and head. Forearms, hands,elbows and legs are raised instinctively; hence defence wounds are more common on these parts of body. Defence wound depends on suddenness of assault and other factors like type of weapon used, Nature of wound, Intoxication, Position of assailant and victim. Presence of defence wounds indicate that victim was conscious, partly mobile and was not taken completely by surprise or was not taken unawares. Absence of defence wounds in few cases of homicides does not mean that defensive activity did not take place and hence does not rule out the possibility of homicide. Various studies show that the prevalence, location and effective factors associated with defence wounds vary worldwide and can be an indication of the country and the region where they would have taken place. Evaluation of defence wound in cases of homicide was carried out in the Tertiary centre hospital in the region of Central India.
Last date updated on January, 2026