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A detail from The Haywain Triptych by Hieronymus Bosch

A stabbing is the penetration of a sharp or pointed object at close range. Stab connotes purposeful action, as by an assassin or murderer, but it is also possible to accidentally stab oneself or others, although such stabbings are rarely serious and still more rarely fatal. Stabbing differs from slashing or cutting in that the motion of the object used in a stabbing generally moves perpendicular to and directly into the victim's body, rather than being drawn across it. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links Gnome-globe. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 480 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (776 × 969 pixel, file size: 74 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stabbing ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 480 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (776 × 969 pixel, file size: 74 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Stabbing ... Haywain is a triptych painting by Hieronymus Bosch, begun in 1485 and completed in 1490. ... Hieronymus Bosch, (latinized, actually Jheronimus Bosch; his real name Jeroen van Aken) (c. ... Jack Ruby murdered the assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, in a very public manner. ... Murder is both a legal and a moral term, that are not always coincident. ... Penetrating trauma is an injury that occurs primarily by an object piercing the skin or entering a tissue of the body. ... For other uses, including articles on self-injury, see Cutting (disambiguation). ...

Death from stabbing is caused by shock, severe blood loss, infection, or loss of functioning of an essential organ such as the heart or lungs. This article is about the medical condition. ... Bleeding is the loss of blood from the body. ... The heart and lungs, from an older edition of Grays Anatomy. ... Human respiratory system The lungs flank the heart and great vessels in the chest cavity. ...

The human skin has a somewhat elastic property as a self-defense; when the human body is stabbed by a thin object such as a kitchen knife, the skin often closes tightly around the object and closes again if the object is removed, which can trap some blood within the body. Some have speculated that the fuller, an elongated concave depression in a metal blade, functions to let blood out of the body in order to cause more damage. This misconception has led to fullers becoming widely known as "blood grooves", and may have caused them to be added to some short weapons, where they serve no purpose. However, internal bleeding is just as dangerous as external bleeding; if enough blood vessels are severed to cause serious injury, the skin's elasticity will do nothing to prevent blood from exiting the circulatory system and accumulating uselessly in other parts of the body. For other uses, see Skin (disambiguation). ... Prussian bayonet, with a prominent fuller A Fuller is a rounded or beveled groove on the flat side of a blade, such as a sword, knife, or bayonet (shown). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Stabbings have been common throughout human history, and were the means used to assassinate a number of distinguished historical figures, such as the Roman Emperors Julius Caesar and Nero. Stabbings today are common among gangs and in prisons because knives are cheap, easy to acquire (or manufacture), and highly concealable. The threat of stabbing is perhaps the most common form of robbery. The stabbing method of choice for today's street gang member is the "juke," in which the stabbing weapon is inserted into the victim (usually in a soft area like the abdomen), turned, and withdrawn, which produces a horrific semi-circular wound. assassin, see Assassin (disambiguation) Jack Ruby assassinated Lee Harvey Oswald in a very public manner. ... For other uses, see Julius Caesar (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Nero (disambiguation). ... A gang is a group of individuals who share a common identity and, in current usage, engage in illegal activities. ... A prison is a place in which people are confined and deprived of a range of liberties. ... For the human abdomen, see human abdomen. ...

Stabbings are the most common form of murder in Britain, where firearms — except certain shotguns and sporting rifles — are outlawed.

Of the 839 homicides in England and Wales in 2005, 29% involved sharp instruments including knives, blades and swords. Firearms account for just 9% of murders in Britain. The murder rate in Britain is 15 per million people.

The US murder rate is 55 per million, according to the FBI. Of those, 70% of murders were committed with firearms; just 14% involved knives or cutting instruments.

In London alone, there were 12,589 knife-related crimes last year. Police say the most likely people to carry knives are males ages 15 to 18.

The historical practice of stabbing oneself deliberately in ritual suicide is known as seppuku (more colloquiallyhara-kiri- literally "belly-cutting" since it involves cutting open the abdomen). The ritual is very highly codified and the person committing suicide is assisted by a "second" who is entrusted to decapitate them cleanly (and thus expediate death and prevent an undignified spectacle) once they have made the abdomenal wound. Ritual suicide is the act of suicide motivated by a religious, spiritual, or traditional ritual. ... Seppuku (Japanese: 切腹, belly-cutting) is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. ...

Commonly used weapons for stabbing purposes: A weapon is a tool used to kill or incapacitate a person or animal, or destroy a military target. ...

• Knife
• Stiletto
• Shiv or shank
• Sword
• Spear
• Bayonet
• Scissors
• Ice pick
• Hat pin
• Pen
• Pencil
• Compass (drafting)
• Hypodermic needle

Objects common in accidental stabbings: This article is about the tool. ... A stiletto is a long, narrow-bladed dagger. ... :This article is about the knife-like weapon. ... Swiss longsword, 15th or 16th century Look up Sword in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Spears were one of the most common personal weapons from the late Bronze Age until the advent of firearms. ... For other uses, see bayonet (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Scissors (disambiguation). ... Icepick. ... A hatpin is a decorative pin for holding a hat to the head, usually by the hair. ... For other uses, see Pen (disambiguation). ... This article is about the handwriting instrument. ... a compass In drafting, a compass (or pair of compasses) is an instrument]] used by mathematicians and craftsmen in for drawing or inscribing a circle or arc. ... Different bevels on hypodermic needles. ...

• Glass, such as in a window through which the victim accidentally walks or falls
• Rebar and other metal construction materials
• Nails, which pierce the victim's foot
• Drill bits
• Fingernails with very sharp nails

This article is about the material. ... A tied rebar beam cage. ... A pile of nails. ... Drill bits are cutting tools used to create cylindrical holes. ... This article discusses the anatomical nail. ...

See also

• Impalement
• Stabbing victims