Joule Burn (Electric Mark)
Definition
A pale, crater-like cutaneous lesion with a raised, firm rim, produced where an electrical conductor contacts the skin. Characteristic of low-voltage electrocution and preserved for histology.
- Appearance
- Pale, crater-like lesion with raised rim
- Cause
- Contact with an electrical conductor
- Typical context
- Low-voltage electrocution
- Handling
- Preserved and examined by histology
Common questions
How does this mark differ from an arc or spark burn?+
An arc burn results from a high-voltage discharge jumping across an air gap and tends to be more severe with visible charring, while this mark forms from direct low-voltage contact and stays localised and crater-shaped.
Why does the crater shape form at the contact point?+
It reflects the small surface area of the conductor concentrating current density and heat at a single spot on the skin, rather than heat spreading across a wider area.
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