Body models in forensic ballistics: reconstruction of a gunshot injury to the chest by bullet fragmentation after shooting through a finger.

Forensic science uses substitutes to reconstruct injury patterns in order to answer questions regarding the dynamic formation of unusual injuries. Using a case study, an experimental simulation of a finger was designed, for the first time with a combination of hard wood and glycerin soap. With this model as an intermediate target simulation, it was possible not only to demonstrate the "bullet-body (finger) interaction", but also to recreate the wound pattern found in the victim. This case demonstrates that by using ballistic models and body-part substitutes, gunshot cases can be reproduced simply and economically, without coming into conflict with ethical guidelines.