This term comes from the Greek and literally means observing or examining a corpse. It is a procedure integrated to forensic medicine, being the only branch of medicine that is not intended to cure patients. Autopsy
the study of a corpse
The first step is to carry out an external analysis of the deceased or cadaver in order to observe possible bruises or anomalous signs. Likewise, tissue samples are collected for further analysis in the laboratory. Then, one or more incisions are made in the body in order to learn information about the bones and internal organs.
The examination of the corpse is exhaustive and focuses on three parts of the body: chest, abdomen and genital apparatus. Through various techniques, the viscera are extracted for their corresponding examination.
Historically, the first autopsy was performed in the 13th century in Italy, when a doctor examined several corpses to find out the possible causes of an epidemic of plague. In the 18th century, in Russia, the first legal norm that required the practice of autopias in cases related to violent deaths was incorporated. Autopsy
Main complementary exams
There are usually five types of complementary exams to get more information about the deceased person . Thus, the vitreous humor is analyzed to determine the date and time of death, as well as to detect the presence of drugs in the body. On the other hand, the other four most common complementary exams are: analysis of gastric content, vesical content, possible toxic substances and analysis of the hematological immune type. Autopsy
Clinical and legal type
The first aims to determine changes in organs and tissues related to diseases that were present in the deceased, as it is often necessary to know possible errors in medical procedures. The second is used as a judicial tool to clarify the cause of death of an individual and occurs when there is evidence of a criminal character in the corpse.
Legal medicine, also called forensic medicine, is concerned with a wide range of unusual situations: suicides, accidents, murders, kinship analysis, etc. Autopsies are also used to discover all kinds of historical information (the virtual autopsies allowed us to determine the physical characteristics of some pharaohs in ancient Egypt).
In forensic slang, it is sometimes stated that the “dead speak.” Autopsy
