"Radiologists call this a 'snowstorm'," said Daniel Dye at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. We are looking at an X-ray of the torso of a gunshot victim. The torpedo shape of one bullet is clearly visible in his lower abdomen, but the image is spattered with numerous other white fragments. These are the remains of two other bullets that hit bones and shattered - but not all of the fragments are from the bullets that killed the unfortunate victim, writes James Randerson.
Dr Dye presented his study to the annual meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in Seattle in which he went back over 703 gun-related homicides between 2000 and 2004. He was looking for cases in which gunshot victims had bullets from previous shootings lodged inside them. Incredibly 25 were carrying around a trophy bullet. "We had one last week," said Dr Dye.
Hang on, so are 4% of Arkansaurians walking around with lead inside them? Well probably not because, as Dr Dye points out, if you have been shot once the chances are you lead the sort of lifestyle that means you've got a good change of being shot again. His impression though is that he is seeing far more cases of old gunshot wounds, probably because more victims of shootings are surviving.
All this matters to forensic scientists because with gun cases the simple rule of thumb - number of entrance wounds equals exit wounds plus number of bullets lodged inside the body - is pretty useful. But I think it is yet more evidence, as if we needed it, of the US obsession with guns. At this conference I'm surrounded by stories of the victims of guns, deliberate and accidental. Every one is a tragedy and every one avoidable.
You'd think that the scientists here who deal with death on a daily basis would be leading the charge against the "right to bear arms", but apparently not. Corinne Stern at the Medical Examiner's Office in Montgomery, Alabama told the conference about the case of a 35-year-old woman who was killed by a lightning strike while she out hunting. The gun acted as a conductor for the bolt.
Dr Stern was obviously very impressed with her choice of rifle. "This is a beautiful weapon," she said, which brought chuckles from the audience. "Don't laugh," she added, "I'm from Texas, where guns are beautiful."
The rifle weighed 6 pounds and 11 ounces. "I know that because that's what my son weighed when he was born," Dr Stern told us.
Just as I was starting to get really scared Dr Stern rounded off her talk by saying the moral of the story was to "eat more chicken" and so leave the deer alone. Well that's OK then.
James Randerson, the Guardian's science correspondent, is at the AAFS conference in Seattle.
You can read his earlier posts from the conference here, here and here
