[Morphology of bullet entrance wounds in palms and plantae (author's transl)].

Tests shots with hand weapons of .22, .25, .32, .357, and .45 calibre were made to find out whether bullet entrance wounds in palms and plantae are very different from such wounds in other parts of the body. As far as shots without contact between muzzle and skin were concerned, the following characteristics were noticed: (1) Entrance holes from pistols and revolvers of the same calibre were smaller in palms and plantae than in other parts of the body. (2) There is no abrasion collar as typically found in other regions. (3) The corneum of epidermis around the entrance hole is lifted off and torn radially. These unusual findings are most probably the result of the particular texture of the palmar and plantar epithelium.