History of Forensic Autopsy (Key Concepts)

Included bolded and key features of history of forensic autopsy lecture

Egypt

one of the first civilizations to apply forensic practices

Ancient Greek

System of medicine based on the balance of four humors (blood, phlegm, yellow biles, and black bile)

herophilus

the father of anatomy - believed to have performed the first known autopsies for characterizing the course of diseases, and subsequently wrote treaties on human anatomy

characterized function of medical expert

assisting the judiciary by impartial interpretation and opinion based on specialized knowledge

medical expert

highest point of forensic medicine in the ancient world

Pablo Zacchias

the father of forensic medicine, published three volumes on forensic medicine between 1621 and 1651

Caroline Code(1553)

required expert medical testimony to guide judges in cases of murder, wounding, poisoning, wounding, hanging, drowning, infanticide, abortion, and other circumstances involving injury to a person

Kenshi

officials who investigated scenes in east asia (Edo period), the equivalent to the European coroners

Chair of Forensic Medicine

established at the University of Edinburgh in 1803

Giovanni Morgagni

often credited with establishing the concept of clinical-pathologic correlation

First recorded coroner’s inquest in America

occurred in 1635 in Plymouth Colony

First known use of the term medical examiner

In 1877 ‘medical examiners’ replaced Coroners in Massachusetts

New York

established the first true medical examiner system in 1918, replacing the coroner’s office

Maryland

In 1939 established the first state medical examiner’s office

hospital autopsies

require the signed consent of the next of kin

forensic autopsies

do not require consent of legal next of kin

blood samples

should be requested in forensic autopsies if the decedent was hospitalized before death

medicolegal death investigation

investigation into a death that is required by lawfor

forensic autopsy

postmortem examination of the body performed in cases of sudden, suspicious, traumatic, or violent deaths

coroner

usually elected public official (without specialized medical training) who conducts medicolegal death investigations

medical examiner

usually appointed forensic pathologist whose job is to conduct medicolegal death investigations

clothing pockets

should be carefully examined for contents, being careful not to injure oneself with a syringe

misinterpretations

commonly result from devices being removed before the pathologist examines the body