We report two cases of body piercing as a religious practice that subsequently led to the development of granulomatous nodules at previously punctured sites of the skin and oral mucosa. These lesions were diagnosed as sarcoid-like foreign body reaction after other possible causes including sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, tuberculoid leprosy, fungal infections, viral infections, and Crohn's disease were excluded.
An adult male sustained a number of stab injuries and other injuries including a fatal stab injury to the neck. There was evidence of air embolism which was considered to be a major factor causing death. The discussion is in four parts. Part I is confined to the post mortem examination. Part II relates to the medico-legal aspects of the case. Part III is a general discussion on embolism and its medico-legal significance whilst Part IV is on the medico-legal aspects of air embolism.