Puppe's Rule
Definition
The 1994 formalisation of the principle that radial fractures from a subsequent gunshot terminate at fracture lines already produced by a prior gunshot; used to determine the sequence of multiple shots from the arrest relationships between their radial fracture lines.
- Formalised
- 1994
- Domain
- Ballistic and cranial trauma sequencing
- Principle
- A later radial fracture terminates at an existing fracture line
Common questions
How do examiners apply Puppe's rule at autopsy?+
They map the radial and concentric fracture lines produced by each gunshot wound on the skull and note where a later fracture's radiating line stops at a line that already existed, establishing the temporal order of the shots.
Does the rule work for all types of skull fracture?+
It applies specifically to radial fractures from blunt or ballistic impact on a roughly spherical structure like the skull; it does not reliably order fractures from other trauma mechanisms or on flat bones.
Related terms
- Bearing Surface Diameter
- The diameter of the projectile face in contact with the bone surface at the moment of impact; smaller than the resulting defect...
- Contact Wound
- A firearm wound produced when the muzzle is pressed against or within a few centimetres of the target surface. Characterised by a...
- External Beveling
- The cone-shaped defect geometry at an exit gunshot wound in bone: the inner table diameter (entry face of the defect) is smaller...
- GSR (Gunshot Residue)
- Primer-combustion products (classically lead-barium-antimony compounds, now also non-lead formulations) deposited on the bone surface at close or contact range; detected by SEM-EDX...
- Internal Beveling
- The cone-shaped defect geometry at an entrance gunshot wound in bone: the outer table diameter (entry face) is smaller than the inner...
- Keyhole Defect
- An asymmetric gunshot defect produced by a projectile striking bone at a shallow angle; one end shows a conventional beveled entry geometry...
- Secondary Projectile
- A bone fragment or other material driven at high velocity through adjacent tissue by the primary projectile's passage through bone; produces irregular,...
- Stellate Fracture
- A set of radial cracks extending outward from the main gunshot defect, produced by compressed propellant gas pressure radiating under the scalp...
- Trajectory Reconstruction
- The forensic procedure that integrates the osteological bevel direction, angle-of-impact estimate, and the physical scene evidence to reconstruct the relative positions of...