Medical Jurisprudence Flashcards

Flashcards covering vocabulary and definitions from medical jurisprudence lecture notes.

Legal Medicine

The application of medical knowledge for legal purposes; commonly interchanged with forensic medicine.

Medical Jurisprudence

The study of law as applied to the medical profession, including court decisions, laws, rules, and regulations.

National Medical Admission Test (NMAT)

A national examination specific to medical colleges in the Philippines, with a CHED-mandated minimum cut-off score of 40%.

Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)

The degree conferred by a college of medicine to its graduates, abbreviated as M.D.

General Practitioner

Authorized to perform all acts constituting the practice of medicine as defined by the Medical Act.

Special Practitioner

Requires specialty training in an accredited hospital, known as residency training, typically lasting 2-4 years.

Board of Medicine

Embodies the powers, functions, and responsibilities to regulate medical practice under the provisions of the Medical Act of 1959.

Practice of Medicine

The act is exclusive to natural persons; investment in a facility hosting the practice is not medical practice itself.

Medical Negligence Suit

An injured patient can file an administrative, civil, or criminal complaint.

Doctrine of Corporate Negligence

Allocates liability to the hospital for the negligent acts of its health practitioners, including the duty of reasonable care, competent physicians, supervision, and adequate rules and policies.

Doctrine of Vicarious Liability

Makes an employer responsible for damages caused by its employees in the service of their functions.

Doctrine of Ostensible Agency

A hospital can be held vicariously liable for the negligent acts of a physician providing care at the hospital, regardless of whether the physician is an independent contractor.

Doctrine of Subsidiary Liability

Occurs when a hospital employee found criminally liable for negligence cannot pay damages, making the hospital subsidiarily liable.

Forensic Medicine

Division of forensic science focusing on the application of medical knowledge and principles to resolve legal issues.

Anatomical Position

The default position in examining the human body, providing a common reference and orientation.

Anterior/Ventral

The front of the body

Posterior/Dorsal

The back of the body

Superorbital Area

Area above the orbit

Infraorbital Area

Area below the orbit

Lateral Orbit

Area at the sides of the orbit

Medial Orbit

Area close to the bridge of the nose

Closed Injury

Injury that does not create a break in the skin.

Contusion

Skin discoloration due to diffusion of blood underneath the skin.

Hematoma

Elevated injury secondary to collection of blood underneath the skin of a bony part of the body.

Open Injury

Injury with a break in the skin.

Abrasion

Injuries brought about by the tangential approach of a rough surface on the skin.

Lacerated Wound

Break in the skin due to blunt force trauma, characterized by tearing of tissues.

Incised Wound

Break in the skin due to a sharp-edged instrument with clean-cut, linear edges.

Avulsion

Injury that involves skin and tissues being ripped off from the body by a strong force.

Punctured Wound

Injury due to a pointed instrument, causing minimal surface skin injury but potentially deep tissue penetration.

Stab Wound

Break in the skin due to a pointed and sharp-edged instrument, usually wider than the width of the weapon.

Gunshot Injuries

Injuries brought about by a firearm, with associated surface injuries like burning of hair or gunpowder burns.

Bullet Entrance Wound

Site where the bullet enters the body, usually round with edges inverted.

Bullet Exit Wound

Created as the bullet leaves the body, irregular in shape, and relatively larger than the entrance wound with everted edges.

Paraffin Testing

Test to find residues of gunpowder recovered from the back of the hand of a person who fired a weapon.

Fractures

Breaks in the continuity of the bone, classified as open or closed, incomplete, complete, or comminuted.

Burn Injury

Mortality is directly proportional to the depth and total body surface area affected.

Rape Injuries

Victims require medical examination to document injuries arising from sexual violence.

Clinical Death

Refers to the irreversible cessation of vital functions like breathing and heartbeat.

Cellular Death

Refers to the death of individual cells after the body has experienced clinical death.

Post-Mortem Examination

Injuries are documented and samples are taken from the dead body without making any incision.

Autopsy

An incision and detailed examination of the internal organs of the body is conducted to ascertain the cause of death.

Rigor Mortis

Also called as cadaveric rigidity or death stiffening starts to develop three to six hours from the time of death

Cadaveric Spasm

Also known as instantaneous rigor, has to be differentiated from rigor mortis. It involves rigidity of a local group of muscle and occurs at the point of death.

Secondary Flaccidity

It occurs after rigor mortis. In this stage, the muscles revert to a completely relaxed or limp position

Medical Certificate

It is issued by a physician relative to his findings on the patient at the time of the examination. This may contain his diagnosis, the procedure conducted, tests results, medications, and the duration of recuperation from the illness.