23 1-2 
Home Page  

  • SciELO

  • Google
  • SciELO
  • Google


Cuadernos de Medicina Forense

 ISSN 1988-611X ISSN 1135-7606

BLEJER, CM.. Intrapartum decapitation of the newborn. An unusual case. []. , 23, 1-2, pp.46-53. ISSN 1988-611X.

During a presumable normal labor and delivery, while tractioning the fetus as usual, the doctor midwife was suddenly surprised by fetal decapitation and found herself holding the baby’s head in her hands. The coroner, in a very subjective evaluation of the facts, indicted the midwife, accusing her of applying unusual and brutal forces to disengage the fetus to accomplish the delivery. He even coined the word “brutalectomy” to describe the situation. A careful analysis of the medical record revealed the most plausible explanation of this unusual event.

: Decapitation; Intrapartum; Necropsy; Medical record annotations; Cutaneous dysplasia.

        · |     · |     · ( pdf )