Mutilation of the genitals at autopsy may be a result of one or more processes. It is important to carefully document the injuries as carefully as possible.
Differential diagnosis for mutilation occurring antemortem:
(1) religious or tribal practice (circumcision, female mutilation)
(2) self-mutilation, usually associated with mental illness
(3) trauma or explosion
(4) torture or sadistic homicide
(5) related to body piercings
(6) infection
(7) malignancy
Differential diagnosis for mutilation performed post-mortem:
(1) rage against a given gender (for example, Jack the Ripper)
(2) animal predation
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