THE TIME-DEPENDENT APPEARANCE OF BLACK EYES

The time-dependent appearance of hematomas of the eyelids was investig ated in 484 cases of head injury. In individuals with apparent signs o f direct violence to the orbit or the nose, black eyes could be observ ed even without relevant post-infliction intervals. Similarly, in vict ims with fractures at the anterior base of the skull hematomas of the eyelids were found even though death had occurred rapidly within less than 30 min after trauma. Black eyes that can be explained exclusively by a seepage of blood from frontal scalp wounds appeared approximatel y 4 h after wound infliction at the earliest, indicating a minimum pos t-infliction interval. Since hemorrhages of the eyelids can also be in duced postmortem by direct violence to the orbit, particularly in case s with hypostasis of the face, the presence of black eyes seems not to be an unambiguous sign of vital trauma.