BLOOD
STAINS
PRESENTED BY:
SARA RAI (1915)
SEEYAN (1916)
PROCESSING OF BLOOD STAINS
Stained articles are dried at room temperature. Extra heat
should not be used.
Without drying of stain, putrefaction sets in.
Solvents used for blood stains-
1. 10% potassium cyanide
2. 10% glycerine
3. Weak solution of ammonia
APPEARANCE OF BLOOD STAINS
Fresh stains are bright red, moist, sticky and stiffens the cloth on
drying. The fresher the blood, the easier it dissolves in water.
Older stains become reddish brown in 24 hours, brown within a
few days and black after long time.
Fluorescence decreases as the stain becomes older.
Blood effused during life can be removed in scales on drying, due
to the presence of fibrin.
Blood flowed after death tends to break up into powder on
drying.
CHEMICAL TESTS
Based on the presence of peroxidase in blood
1. Benzidine test – add a drop of saturated benzidine in glacial acetic acid
and add a drop of 10 volumes H2O2.
if blood is present – color changes to blue immediately.
This is a preliminary test and detects blood in dilution of 1:3,00,000
2. Phenophthalein test – stain is extracted in distilled water and 10 to
20 drops of phenolphthalein is added followed by 1-2 drops of 10
volume H2O2.
if blood is present- pink or purple color is produced
Non specific test but extremely sensitive. Can detect blood in dilutions
upto 1:50,00,000.
BENZIDINE TEST PHENOLPHTHALEIN TEST
TEICHMANN’S TEST
• Detects haemin crystals.
• A small crystal of NaCl and 2-3 drops of glacial acetic acid are
placed on stain on a glass slide. A coverslip is applied and
acid is evaporated by heating over a small flame.
• After cooling it is examined under microscope.
• Faintly yellowish to brownish rhombic crystals of haemin or
hematin chloride are seen arranged in clusters.
TAKAYAMA’S TEST
• Detects haemochromogen.
• Put a small piece of suspected material on glass slide and
add 2-3 drops of Takayama reagent and cover with coverslip.
• Pink, feathery crystals of hemochromogen or reduced
alkaline hematin are seen in clusters.
• This test is more reliable and can be used even on old stains.
SPECTROSCOPIC EXAMINATION
• Most delicate and reliable test.
• Less than 0.1mg of blood is sufficient.
• The stain is extracted with water, diluted and put into glass
tube.
• This is put between light source and spectroscope, producing
characteristic bands that vary with blood pigments.
PRECIPITIN TEST
• Differentiates between species. It is a specific protein test.
• Uses antibodies against the human blood to form a visible
precipitate.
• A suitable antiserum should react immediately or within a
minute on 1:1000 dilution.
• Blood is extracted which should be clear and diluted 1:100 with
normal saline. 2 drops of undiluted antiserum are added to 0.75
ml of diluted stain extract in a small tapering test tube.
• Antiserum settles down and at junction of two fluids a white
ring appears in positive samples which is seen after 30 minutes.
MEDICOLEGAL IMPORTANCE OF BLOOD
STAIN
Identification of blood and bloodstains has importance both in civil and criminal fields
• Civil Cases
1. Disputed paternity: The question of disputed paternity arises in the court in the
following conditions:
a. Adultery and divorce: When a child is born in lawful marriage, but the husband
denies that he is the father of the child.
b. Blackmail: When a child is born out of lawful marriage, and the mother accuses
a certain man of being the father of the child, while the man denies the accusation.
c. Maintenance claims: Under Sec. 125 CrPC, an individual must adopt his
illegitimate child or support him upto certain age.
d. Share of property
2. Disputed maternity: The question of disputed maternity arises in the
following circumstances:
a. When the same child is claimed by two women.
b. When there has been an allegation of interchange of a child with
another in the maternity hospital, either purposely or accidentally.
c. In case of a kidnapped child, when the woman who has kidnapped the
child claims to be the mother.
d. In case of a suppositious child, when a woman pretends pregnancy and
delivery, and brings forth a child to pass it off as her own.
3. Inheritance claims: The question of legitimacy arises, since a legitimate
child only can inherit the parent’s property.
4. Divorce and nullity of marriage cases: e.g. question of intersex and some
forbidden diseases.
5. Civil negligence cases arising in hospital or medical practices, for
example,
a. Incompatible blood transfusion.
b. Neglect of expiry dates leading to transfusion reactions.
c. Presence of pathogenic organisms, such as malaria, syphilis, hepatitis B
and HIV in the transfused blood.
• Criminal Cases
1. Identification of victim or offenders of crime in circumstances: such as
murder, wounding, rape and vehicular accidents. Bloodstains may be found
on the clothing and person of the suspect. If the character of these stains is
similar to that of blood of the victim, it establishes association. Bloodstains
may be present under the fingernails of assailant in a case of throttling. If
there has been a struggle, bloodstains derived from the accused may be
found under the fingernails of the victim due to scratching. Vehicles which
have caused injury can be identified when they show bloodstains
resembling that of the victim.
2. Stains due to body fluids: The blood group antigens can be demonstrated
in stains on clothes due to semen, sweat or saliva (‘secretors’). This may be
a corroborative evidence of the accused.
3. Crime scene reconstruction: Blood spatter interpretation can be
valuable in determining how blood was deposited on an item or at a
scene.
4. Corroborate or refute an individual’s allegation: It can substantiate a
complainant’s or suspect’s account of alleged events of an assault, and can
be critical in establishing guilt or innocence during criminal proceedings.
5. Cases of malingering: The specificity of various blood group
combinations is like that of the fingerprints. When an individual has some
rare blood group, he can be identified with certainty.
6. Cause of death: for example, detection of poison in the blood.
7. Time since death can be estimated by use of different chemical or
biochemical tests.
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