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INTERNATIONAL REFERENCE ORGANIZATION IN FORENSIC MEDICINE AND SCIENCES

Report on the 11th International Congress of the International Academy of Legal Medicine and Social Medicine

The 11th International Congress of the International Academy of Legal Medicine and Social Medicine was held in Lyon, France, under the presidency of Professor Louis Roche of Lyon. It was held at the meeting halls of the Facultd de M&lecine Alexis Carrel in Lyon. During the meeting there was a very successful effort to develop meaningful dialogues on major international problems. This was consummated by having simultaneous sessions continu- ing for three days on Deaths by Intoxication, Mass Deaths and Disasters, Disability and Compensation, Legal Aspects of Medicine with diverse topics discussed, and Human Rights and Oppression of the Individual.

Of particular interest were the sessions on Mass Deaths and Disasters, in which there was discussion of problems that have confronted the World’s forensic scientists who had responsibilities in specific disasters. These included reports of the activities of the German Centre of Aircraft Accident Inves- tigation Team in crashes involving German nationals and German equipment by Professor Hors Leithoff of the Institute of Legal Medicine of Mainz University in West Germany. Leithoff discussed major crashes in Africa. Professor Corbella of Barcelona, Spain, discussed the mass deaths at Tar- ragona in which a death toll of more than 200 followed the explosion of a propane truck which was driving along a seashore highway and exploded into a roadside campsite full of campers from all over Europe. He did the identifi- cations in his Institute in Barcelona. All but two were identified within three months of the event. Other disasters including earthquakes, floods, fires and transportation disasters were discussed. The Guyana tragedy was also re- ported on through information supplied by Dr. Leslie Mootoo, forensic pathologist of Guyana.

The objectives of this Congress were to make recommendations, based on detailed discussions of the problems, to international and national author- ities as to the availability of coordinated experts arranged in regional groups who could support countries who asked for help. In the case of problems related to mass deaths and disasters this would be in the form of administra- tive as well as service support.

The International Academy of Legal Medicine and Social Medicine Office is located in Liege, Belgium, at the Office of the Treasurer, Professor Dr. Armand Andre, and the Executive Secretary, Mme E. Piront. Address:

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International Academy of Legal Medicine and Social Medicine, 39, Rue DOS Fanchon, B-4020 Liege, Belgium. The Officers, who were elected for three years in Lyon, are: President,

Professor Louis Roche; Honorary President, Professor Wolfgang Spann of Munich, Germany; Treasurer, Professor A. Andre; Secretary General, Profes- sor Cotte, Lyon, France; Secretary of the Publication, Professor Silvio Merli, Rome, Italy; Vice Presidents, Professor William G. Eckert (Wichita, Kansas), Professor Stefan Rasseja (Gdansk, Poland), Professor Eric Liebhardt (Munich, Germany), Professor Akiashi (Sendai University, Japan); Scientific Com- mittee, Professor Wilhelm Holczabek (Vienna, Austria), Professor Angelo Fiori (Rome, Italy), Professor Hans Peter Hartmann (Zurich, Switzerland), Professor J&-gen Voigt (Copenhagen, Denmark).

The interim meeting of the Organization will be held in Havana, Cuba, in November 1980. In June 1981 it will be in Bergen, Norway, and the next two international meetings will be held in 1982 in Vienna, Austria, and in Budapest, Hungary, in 1985.

The Proceedings of all the meetings are published in the Acta Medicinae Legalis edited by Professor Silvio Merli of Rome, Italy. All communications to the organization should be addressed to the Treasurer, Professor Andre in Liege, or to the President, Professor Louis Roche, Faculte de Medecine Alexis Carrel, Rue Guillaume Paradin, 69008 Lyon, France.

Forthcoming Meetings

February 20 - 23, 1980. American Academy of Forensic Sciences annual meeting, Hyatt Regency Hotel, New Orleans, La. Inquiries to AAFS, 11400 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md. 20852, U.S.A. February 20, 1980. National Association of Medical Examiner’s interim meeting. Inquiries to Secretary NAME, Dr. George Gantner, Department of Environmental and Forensic Pathology, St. Louis University, Grand Bvld, St. Louis, MO., U.S.A. May 27 - 28, 1980. Western Conference on Criminal and Civil Problems, Seminar on Unsolved Murders, Mass Disasters and Identification, Wichita, Kansas. Inquiries to WCCCP, Box 8282, Wichita, Kansas 67208, U.S.A. Sep tern ber 1980. German Society of Rechtsmedizin, Heidelberg, Germany. Inquiries to Prof. G. Schmidt, 2 Voss Strasse, Heidelberg, F.G.R. November 1980. Havana, Cuba. Interim meeting of the International Acad- emy of Legal Medicine and Social Medicine, and Programs of the Pan Amer- ican Association of Forensic Sciences in Cuba, Caracas, Venezuela and Mexico. Inquiries to Dr. William G. Eckert, Laboratory, St. Francis Hospital, Wichita, Kansas 67214, U.S.A.

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November 12 - 16, 1980. Annual meeting of the National Association of Medical Examiners at Hilton Head, South Carolina. Inquiries to Dr. George Gantner, Secretary, Department of Forensic Pathology, St. Louis University Medical School, Grand Avenue, St. Louis, MO., U.S.A. February 1981. Annual meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Los Angeles, California. Inquiries to AAFS Executive Secretary, 11400 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md. 20852, U.S.A. June 1981. International Meeting of the International Association of Forensic Sciences, Bergen, Norway. Inquiries to Prof. Johann Giertsen, Gade Institute of Pathology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway 5000.

The Interim meeting of the International Academy of Legal Medicine and Social Medicine will meet in Bergen at this time. Inquiries to Prof. Andre, 39 rue DOS Fanchon, Liege, Belgium. June 15 - 20, 1981. The Annual Conference of the Association of Police Surgeons of Great Britain will be held at the Grand Hotel at Brighton, Gt. Britain. Inquiries to Dr. M. D. B. Clarke, Vine House, Huyton Church Road, Huyton, 36 5SJ, Great Britain.

BOOK REVIEWS

I Marcatori Genetici delle Immunoglobuline Umane in Medicina Legale

By M. Bargagna and R. Domenici. Publisher: Editrice Tecnico Scientifia, Pisa, 1977, pp. 97.

This monograph, which deals with the genetic markers of human im- munoglobulins, examines the available data on these genetic markers that are used in medicolegal practice.

Chapter 1 is devoted to the biochemistry and genetics of immuno- globulins. In chapters 2 and 3 the systems Gm, Km, Am and factors ISI and Mm are discussed. In chapter 4 the forensic applications (paternity, stains from blood and other biological fluids, etc.) are treated.

The book is clear and well illustrated with many tables and figures, and the international literature is well chosen and brought up to 1977. A field of legal medicine is covered in which up to now no systemic studies have been available: as a matter of fact, this was the aim of the authors, both involved professionally in the solution of the many problems posed by medicolegal practice.

As it is written in Italian, the book is not accessible to the vast majority of practitioners concerned with forensic genetics. A translation into English would therefore be advisable. ANGELO FIORI

Professor, Zstituto di Medicina Legale, Via Pineto Sacchetti 644,

Rome 00198, Italy.