Forensic Medicine: The Autopsy
Systematic Post-Mortem Examination
An autopsy (necropsy) is a post-mortem surgical examination to determine the cause, manner, and mechanism of death. In forensic medicine, it is the fundamental tool for medico-legal investigation.
1. Types of Autopsy
- Medico-Legal (Forensic): Conducted under legal statute (e.g., in cases of unnatural death, homicide, suicide, accident). Consent of relatives is not required; authorization by the police or magistrate is mandatory.
- Clinical (Pathological): Conducted in hospitals to understand disease progression. Requires written informed consent from the next of kin.
2. Systematic Examination (Virchow Technique)
| Technique | Description |
|---|---|
| Virchow | Organs are removed one by one (most common in India). |
| Rokitansky | Organs are removed in blocks (evisceration in situ). |
| Ghon | Thoracic, abdominal, and urogenital organs were removed in en bloc. |
3. NEET PG High-Yield Pearls
- Cause of Death: The disease or injury that initiated the sequence of events leading to death (e.g., Myocardial Infarction).
- Manner of Death: The classification of how death occurred (Natural, Homicide, Suicide, Accident, or Undetermined).
- Mechanism of Death: The physiological/biochemical disturbance that results in death (e.g., Arrhythmia, Hypovolemic Shock).
- Inquest: A legal inquiry conducted by the police or a magistrate into the cause of an unnatural death.
- Exhumation: The digging up of a body already buried; usually done to recover evidence or re-examine the cause of death.