Autopsy Vocab

Abrasion

A superficial injury to the skin, typically caused by scraping, rubbing, or impact; a graze or scrape that does not penetrate below the epidermis.

Algor Mortis

The post-mortem reduction in body temperature; the cooling of the body after death to reach the ambient temperature.

Antemortem

Occurring or existing before death. This term is used to classify injuries or conditions that developed while the individual was alive.

Asphyxia

A general term referring to a condition of inadequate oxygenation of the blood and tissues, which can be caused by obstruction of the airway, pressure on the chest, or exclusion of oxygen in the environment.

Autopsy

A systematic post-mortem examination of a corpse performed to determine the cause, manner, and mechanism of death; to evaluate any disease, injury, or poisoning; and to collect evidence.

Contact Wound

A type of gunshot wound incurred when the muzzle of the firearm is pressed against or nearly touching the skin at the moment of discharge. The wound often shows evidence of muzzle stamp and injection of burning propellant gasses.

Contusion

A bruise; an injury caused by blunt force trauma that leads to the extravasation (leakage) of blood into the tissues beneath the skin, without breaking the skin surface.

Coronary Arteries

The blood vessels that branch off the aorta and supply blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the heart muscle (myocardium) itself. Disease here is the primary cause of myocardial infarction (heart attack).

Coroner :

An elected or appointed public official, who may or may not be a physician, whose primary duty is to investigate certain types of death and to certify the cause of death.

Decedent

A legal and medical term for the deceased person.

Distal

A direction in anatomy meaning situated farther away from the center of the body or the point of attachment (e.g., the hand is distal to the elbow).

Edema

Swelling caused by an excessive accumulation of fluid in the interstitial space (the tissue surrounding the cells), commonly observed in the lower extremities.

Embolism

The sudden blockage of a blood vessel by a moving foreign mass (an embolus), such as a blood clot, fat globule, air bubble, or other foreign material, that has traveled from another part of the body.

Hematoma

A localized collection of blood outside of a blood vessel, usually in a space or potential space within the body. It represents a more significant pooling of blood than a contusion.

Laceration

A tear or split of the skin, organ, or soft tissue with irregular edges, typically caused by the forceful impact of a blunt object against a bone.

Ligature

Any material (e.g., rope, cord, cloth, wire) used to bind or constrict a body part, most notably the neck in cases of strangulation or hanging.

Livor Mortis

Also known as post-mortem lividity or hypostasis. It is the gravitational pooling of blood in the dependent (lowest) areas of the body after circulation has ceased, resulting in a purplish-red discoloration of the skin.

Pathology

The branch of medicine that focuses on the diagnosis of disease and causes of death through the examination of organs, tissues, and body fluids.

Perimortem

Occurring or existing at or around the time of death. This classification is used for injuries that cannot definitively be proven to be antemortem or postmortem.

Postmortem

Occurring or performed after death. Used to describe changes to the body or an examination like an autopsy.

Proximal

A direction in anatomy meaning situated nearer to the center of the body or the point of attachment (e.g., the elbow is proximal to the hand).

Rigor Mortis

The post-mortem rigidity (stiffening) of the muscles caused by irreversible chemical changes in the muscle fibers, which begins a few hours after death and passes within 24-36 hours.

Taphonomy

The study of the processes (decomposition, burial, preservation) that affect organic remains after death, from the time of death until recovery.

Virtual Autopsy

A modern, non-invasive method of post-mortem examination that uses advanced 3D imaging technologies, such as Post-Mortem Computed Tomography (PMCT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (PM-MRI), to visualize the internal body structures.

Lividity

A synonym for Livor Mortis.