VMD 511: Animal Welfare, Ethics and Jurisprudence (2+0)

VELOCITY OF PROJECTILE

• A bullet travelling at high velocity produces a clean, circular, punched-out aperture or slit, as in a stabbing wound, and usually perforates the body.
• It is not deflected from its path by striking a bone, but may cause its comminution or splintering. On the other hand, a bullet of low velocity causes contusion and laceration of the margins of the wound of entrance. It is easily deflected and deformed by striking some hard object, and often lodges in the body.
• The track made by a bullet widens as it goes deeper. This is the reverse of a punctured wound. If a bullet grazes a bone, it may produce a gutter, with or without fracturing it, and may or may not give the direction or deflection of the bullet.