ABSTRACT
Death and injuries from the effects of both explosive devices and the explosive substances can occur in a variety of circumstances including military, terrorist, and civil. Although the forensic pathologist, medical examiner, and coroner are concerned primarily with the investigation of death and the collection and documentation of injuries and evidence relating to these deaths, trauma surgeons and emergency physicians have an equally important role in the examination of non-fatal victims. The principles involved in the investigation of these injuries are the same, whether or not the victim has died, although identification of the victim is an additional problem for the death investigator. These topics are well illustrated in an epidemi-ological study by Mallonee et al. (1996) of injuries and deaths in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
