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Amniotic Fluid Embolism - Amniotic fluid embolism is a rare obstetric emergency in which amniotic fluid, fetal cells, hair, or other debris enter the maternal circulation, causing cardio respiratory collapse.

Anomaly - Anything which is irregular or different from what is normal.

Basilar Skull Fracture - Caused by falls, penetrating injuries by external objects or as the result of the skull forcefully hitting a solid object.

Carbon Dating - A method of estimating the age of ancient animal or plant products by measuring their content of radioactive carbon.

Codeine - A white, slightly bitter chemical made from opium and used in medicine to relieve pain.

Diatoms - Any of a group of microscopic algae having one cell which has silica in the cell walls.

Edema - An excess of fluid in the tissues.

Exhume - To disinter a dead body for examination.

Femur - The long bone of the thigh or upper hindlimb in animals, joining the hip to the knee.

Gas Chromatograph - Gas chromatography is a chromatographic technique that can be used to separate volatile organic compounds.

Hemorrhage - Excessive discharge of blood from the blood vessels; profuse bleeding.

Interpol - Interpol maintains a large database charting unsolved crimes and both convicted and alleged criminals. At any time, a member nation has access to specific sections of the database and its police forces are encouraged to check information held by Interpol whenever a major crime is committed.

Kevlar® - A synthetic fibre that is five times stronger than steel, weight for weight. Kevlar is very heat resistant and decomposes above 400 °C without melting. It is usually used in bulletproof vests, in extreme sports equipment, and for composite aircraft construction.

Lividity - One of the signs of death, is a settling of the blood in the lower (dependent) portion of the body, causing a purplish red discoloration of the skin.

Mandible - Lower jaw.

Mass Spectrometer - Instrument that produces and measures, usually by electrical means, a mass spectrum. It separates ions according to the ratio of their mass to charge, allowing scientists to determine the abundances of each isotope.

Methanol - A colorless, toxic, flammable liquid used as an antifreeze, a general solvent, a fuel, and a denaturant for ethyl alcohol.

Middle Meningeal Artery - Runs in a groove on the inside of the cranium. A head injury is required to rupture the artery.

Panoscan - Creates a high resolution panoramic image without the distortion common to wide angle lenses. When used in conjunction with certain computer programs, full 360 degree, interactive images can be constructed. The interactive, or Virtual Reality (VR) images that are created from the raw Panoscan photos allow the viewer to "walk through" a crime scene and view details, diagrams or floor plans, photos of processed evidence and even reports.

Phalanges - Any of the 14 bones in each hand and foot.

Respiratory System - The integrated system of organs involved in the intake and exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the body and the environment and including the nasal passages, larynx, trachea, bronchial tubes, and lungs.

Scleroderma - A pathological thickening and hardening of the skin.

Serosanguineous - Consisting of serum and blood.

Subdural Hematoma - A collection of blood between the dura (the outer protective covering of the brain) and the arachnoid (the middle layer of the meninges). Most often caused by head injury, when rapidly changing velocities within the skull may stretch and tear small bridging veins.

Transient Ischemic Attack - An acute episode of temporary and focal loss of cerebral function of vascular (occlusive) origin.

Ventricular Fibrillation - A cardiac condition that consists of a lack of coordination of the contraction of the muscle tissue of the large chambers of the heart that eventually leads to the heart stopping altogether.

Vertebrae - Any of the chain of bones that form the vertebral column (spine).

Vitamin K - A vitamin found in vegetables, rice, etc., which promotes clotting of the blood.