PATNA, April 29 -- With summer intensifying and heat waves prevalent across many parts, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, on Tuesday reported a significant breakthrough in forensic medicine, establishing a definitive postmortem marker for heat stroke deaths through human studies. Doctors said the findings are expected to aid in medico-legal cases and the accurate settlement of insurance claims and compensation cases linked to such fatalities.

The research, led by principal investigator Dr Ashok Kumar Rastogi, additional professor in the department of forensic medicine and toxicology, identifies rupture of the pre-optic area - located in the anterior hypothalamus of the brain - as a consistent indicator of heat stroke de...