Desperate Forensic Doctor - Chapter 2 - The Floatation Test

As someone took over the difficult task, Cheng Gong suddenly felt that he had met a saviour.

Wen Wan communicated in the group chat and several leaders naturally gave them the green light.

During this time, Shen Junci was already getting ready.

However, Wen Wan was still a little worried and said to Shen Junci: “Dr Shen, just try it first. If you don’t feel confident, we can find another way…”

Before Wen Wan had even finished speaking, Shen Junci skillfully picked up the dissection tools.

His fingers were long and slender, and he held the knife like he was holding a pen. He started cutting without any hesitation. The baby’s abdomen was completely cut open where the scalpel passed.

This cut was stable and precise, smooth from top to bottom.

Shen Junci’s eyes were extremely focused, as if there was only this corpse in his eyes.

Wen Wan said nothing. She and Cheng Gong looked at each other and concluded that Shen Junci was really good.

After cutting open the abdominal cavity and peritoneum for inspection, next was to cut open the thoracic cavity.

When dealing with the thoracic cavity of such infants, the difficult part was to separate the chest muscles. The scalpel should be positioned close to the ribs, but yet should not damage the bones or cut through the thoracic cavity.

The cuts Shen Junci made were clean and sharp, and the bones and flesh were separated with a slight sound.

The scalpel cut along the boundary between the costal cartilage and the ribs, and then accurately cut into the baby’s second costal cartilage. An “S”-shaped incision was made where the sternoclavicular joint connects with the first thoracic rib. After the separation, the ribs were removed, exposing the organs inside.

The stomach was deflated, hidden under the ribs, no bigger than a pigeon egg.

Shen Junci selected a position below the throat and above the diaphragm, and then used stitches to start ligating the trachea and oesophagus.

The baby’s internal organs were small and soft, like a plate of delicate jelly.

Shen Junci lowered his head, moved his fingers dexterously, and gently pulled the thin stitch.

If the force used for this was too strong, the trachea and oesophagus would be easily cut through. If the force used was too small, the ligation would not be effective.

Cheng Gong saw Shen Junci’s fingers make a gentle pull, before making a clean cut. He then carefully took out the baby’s neck organs, together with the heart and lungs.

Cheng Gong hurriedly received it on a tray, and then brought the baby’s lungs under a  microscope for inspection: “The lungs are spongy, with a reddish-brown surface, and the alveoli are slightly expanded…”

Wen Wan prepared pure water at the side.

Cheng Gong carefully put the heart and lungs into the water, and the four people stared at the glassware attentively. At first, the organs sank for a moment due to the gravity upon entering the water. Then the water surface rippled slightly, and the internal organs floated up to the surface of the water.

“Positive!” Qi Yian shouted excitedly.

Shen Junci stretched out his hand and forced the lungs into the water. Then he released his fingers and the lungs floated back up again.

If the test showed that the organs were floating, it meant the result was positive. This indicated that there was air in the lungs, and that the baby had breathed, and air had been inhaled into the alveoli.

In conclusion, the baby was born alive.

Now it has been proven from the autopsy that the child was alive when she was born. That is to say, what the daughter-in-law said was true. The mother-in-law who was at home at that time was most likely the murderer of the baby.

“I’ll tell the criminal investigation team.” Qi Yian couldn’t hold back his excitement.

“Wait a minute.” Shen Junci said from the side, “To be on the safe side, let’s do the gastrointestinal floatation test as well.”

Cheng Gong agreed: “Okay, that will give more accurate results, and it won’t change our conclusion anyway.”

The gastrointestinal floatation test is generally a supplementary test for pulmonary floatation. If the baby had breathed spontaneously, air would also enter the gastrointestinal tract, and this test could also measure how long the baby was alive for.

It’s just that this test was more troublesome.

Shen Junci started to take action.

The long and slender fingers operated on the baby’s body, ligating the cardia the pylorus in sequence, and then ligating the upper and lower ends of the duodenum, jejunum, ileum and colon.

He handled it carefully and with full concentration.

The intestines of premature babies were very small. This series of actions required the dissector to be very familiar with the human anatomy and have a clear understanding of the theory of the floatation test.

Qi Yian learned this knowledge in college and also passed the exam. He had not practised it before and could not remember the steps clearly. However, Shen Junci handled it neatly and without hesitation.

After observing at the sidelines for a while, Qi Yian was in awe of his mentor.

In just a few short minutes, Shen Junci completed the dissection and then checked it to see that there were no errors or omissions.

The mesentery was separated and the baby’s entire gastrointestinal tract was removed.

The whole process was as precise and accurate as a surgical operation.

Wen Wan had already taken another glass container and filled it with water. She put the organs in and the stomach and part of the intestines floated up.

Positive again!

As soon as the baby starts breathing, air would have entered the stomach. Thirty minutes later, it would enter the duodenum. It would then spread throughout the small intestine in about six hours, and throughout the entire intestinal tract in twenty-four hours.

At present, the duodenum was also floating. Cheng Gong said: “It can be judged based on the amount of air that had entered the intestinal tract that the baby was alive for more than one hour but less than three hours.”

“The child was killed!” Qi Yian finally dared to confirm this.

Wen Wan checked the video equipment: “It’s all recorded, and we can give the criminal investigation team a conclusion.”

Shen Junci added: “There was a small contusion in the internal organs, and slight bleeding under the mucosa. There’s also a bit of mud in the mouth and trachea. My initial conclusion is that the child may have died of mechanical asphyxia.”

He said this euphemistically. To put it simply, the child was buried alive.

Although the autopsy results had come out, Shen Junci still felt that it was not completed. He said, “I will check the child’s head again. The results of the test can be reported to the criminal investigation team first.”

After this autopsy was completed, Wen Wan was thoroughly impressed by Shen Junci.

Cheng Gong also thanked him profusely.

The rules of the forensic medicine industry were very simple. Whoever had the skills would have status and would naturally be respected.

Cheng Gong went to the office to fill out the floatation test results form, attached two screenshots, handed it to Qi Yian and asked him to notify the criminal investigation team.

Qi Yian quickly ran to the criminal investigation building.

The criminal investigation team’s drill had ended, and Shao Zhen En, the captain of Team one, rushed back from the training ground. He saw Qi Yian coming and led him into a conference room, where the two families were still quarrelling.

The husband’s family and the wife’s family refused to give in to each other and almost came to blows several times.

There was no time to bandage the wounds on Yu Shen’s hands, and several police officers also seemed to be unable to handle them.

The mother-in-law was still insisting, holding her neck and shouting: “I didn’t kill anyone!”

Because of her firmness, the husband and father-in-law both sided with her.

Qi Yian strode over and put the autopsy report on the table: “The results are out. The child was alive when she was born.”

The mother-in-law suddenly stood up flustered: “How did you confirm it?!”

Qi Yian raised his eyebrows: “The floatation test proved that there was air in the child’s body. She had begun to breathe on her own. She was alive for at least an hour before she died. The autopsy results are available on video. Do you want me to explain the scientific principles to you?”

The face of the husband beside him changed: “More than an hour……Wasn’t that before I managed to rush back……”

At that time, only the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were at home.

The noisy conference room fell silent for a moment.

Then the daughter-in-law reacted, covered her face and cried: “My poor child……”

Everyone’s eyes suddenly focused on the mother-in-law. The daughter-in-law’s brother grabbed the old lady by her neck and pulled her up. It was only because the policemen on the side stopped him that his fist didn’t hit her.

The old woman’s mouth opened with a dull expression, like someone who was caught doing something bad, and still wanted to make excuses. She trembled: “Impossible, impossible!”

“What’s impossible?” Captain Shao took a step forward and pressured her: “The forensic examination results are out and the evidence is conclusive. You’d better explain the facts of the crime.”

The young husband looked at his mother: “Mom, you didn’t really do it, did you?”

He couldn’t believe that his own mother had killed his child and done such a cruel thing.

The mother-in-law’s whole body wilted and her lips trembled: “How……how is it possible……” She muttered a few words and said to herself, “How is it possible to detect it?”

Then the old lady raised her head and looked around: “I should have stepped on it, lit a fire, or thrown the dead child into the well.”

Her tone was cold, like a poisonous snake spitting out words. Even at this point she still seemed unrepentant.

At that moment, everyone shuddered as they saw her expression.

Qi Yian looked at the old woman in front of him, as if the creature in front of him was not a person, but a demon possessed by something unknown.

Captain Shao said to the criminal investigator next to him: “What are you doing standing still? Take the person to the interrogation room quickly.”

Yu Shen hurriedly went to grab the old lady.

“That’s my granddaughter. Doesn’t my heart hurt? But there’s nothing I can do……it’s because the girl’s stomach was disappointing. If it were a boy, how could I do such a thing?”

T/N: Disappointing – Referring to the daughter-in-law who, by “bad” luck, gave birth to a girl instead of a boy.

The old lady still refused to leave, so she turned back to look at her son: “Silly boy, you already have two daughters at home. Having more girls will only drag you down. When will you have a son? And also, that child was born prematurely, who knows what problems she will have! If you have to spend money to treat her, it will become a bottomless pit. The earlier she dies, the better. I am willing to be the bad person. In the future…In the future, you will understand your mother’s good intentions……”

As she spoke, she wanted to hold her son’s hand, but his eyes were full of fear and he avoided her.

The old lady was finally taken away. The daughter-in-law was crying, and the husband began to comfort her. However, there was already a rift in the family and it would never go back to how it once was.

Qi Yian looked at all this and felt chills all over his body. He had seen too many corpses. Even though those corpses were horrific, rotten, and emitted an unpleasant smell, they never made him feel as uncomfortable and nauseated as he did now.

After getting the old lady into the interrogation room, Yu Shen finally breathed a sigh of relief, turned back to Qi Yian and said, “Thank you, I didn’t expect to get the results so quickly.”

“Weren’t we afraid that you guys won’t be able to handle it here?” Qi Yian didn’t dare to claim the credit for himself, “And it’s all thanks to my mentor……I’ll give you the autopsy report tomorrow morning.”

He ran all the way back to the forensic department from the criminal investigation building. Wen Wan was already back in the office, sorting out information.

Qi Yian asked: “Is it finished? Is my mentor still in the autopsy room?”

Wen Wan nodded: “Dr Shen is stitching up over there. I can’t help much, so I came back first.” She paused and then said, “It’s really thanks to him this time.”

Qi Yian went to the autopsy room again, and the entire autopsy procedure was already completed.

Under the light, Shen Junci was concentrating on sewing up the body.

He used the smallest needle. The baby’s skin was as thin as paper and needed to be sewed very carefully. Even his breathing had to be very gentle.

Qi Yian did not dare to disturb him and approached cautiously. Now that the body had been cleaned up and the dirt on it was washed away, it seemed as if she had fallen asleep peacefully.

This young life passed away so quickly, without experiencing all the joys and sorrows in the world, without enjoying its mother’s embrace, and without taking a sip of milk.

Who knows how many more babies in the world were in the same situation as her.

Shen Junci’s movements were very gentle and careful, as if he was afraid of waking her from her sweet dreams.

After finishing the last stitch, Shen Junci skillfully tied a knot.

Then he took off his gloves and handed them to Qi Yian: “You can handle the rest.”

Qi Yian sighed and went to fill out the forms. He put the body in the morgue, where her relatives could come and claim it after the case was over, and where it was convenient to arrange her funeral.

By the time Qi Yian finished his work and returned to the forensic office of the Special Criminal Division, Shen Junci had already poured himself a pot of tea and was familiarising himself with the city bureau’s computer system.

Another Tibetan incense stick was lit in the corner of the forensic office and half of it was already burned.

It’s like offering condolences to the souls of the dead.

Shen Junci sat on the chair, the focus and sharpness he had during the autopsy completely faded away.

Qi Yian felt that after getting off the autopsy table, Shen Junci returned to his calm and indifferent state.

Seeing him sitting opposite, Shen Junci raised his tea cup and asked him: “Do you want to drink? Longjing tea.”

Qi Yian shook his head.

He thought about the situation during lunch break, looked at Shen Junci hesitantly, and plucked up the courage to say: “Mentor…well, although the city bureau has a lunch break, it’s mainly used for eating, and few people use this room to sleep…”

He was bold enough to say it.

Shen Junci said oh, and scrolled the mouse with his right hand: “I won’t get fired right?”

Qi Yian was stunned and quickly waved his hand: “It probably won’t come to that…”

Afterall, he was recruited from the provincial department with great difficulty, and his skills were really good. Even Wen Wan and Cheng Gong were convinced when they saw him working at the autopsy table today.

Shen Junci lowered his head and took a sip of tea: “Then that’s good.”

Qi Yian asked: “If someone says something……”

Shen Junci said: “I am not in good health, so I always take a nap in the afternoon. With regards to work, as long as I do my job well and have a clear conscience, it’ll be fine. I don’t mind what others say.”

The author has something to say:

Shen Junci: Rejecting invalid overtime starts with me.