Forensic pathology
Forensic pathology is a job of forensics. It is pathology that focuses on determining the cause of death by examining a corpse. The autopsy is performed by a medical examiner, usually during the investigation of criminal law cases and civil law cases in some jurisdictions. Coroners and medical examiners are also frequently asked to confirm the identity of a corpse. Also see forensic medicine.
The word forensics is derived from the Latin forēnsis meaning of or before the forum..
Scope of forensic pathology
Forensic pathology is an application of medical jurisprudence. The forensic pathologist:
Is a medical doctor who has completed training in anatomical pathology and who has subsequently specialized in forensic pathology. The requirements for becoming a "fully qualified" forensic pathologist vary from country to country. Some of the different requirements are discussed below.
Performs autopsies/postmortem examinations to determine the cause of death. The autopsy report contains an opinion about :
- The pathologic process, injury, or disease that directly results in or initiates a series of events that lead to a person's death (also called mechanism of death), such as a bullet wound to the head, exsanguination caused by a stab wound, manual or ligature strangulation, myocardial infarction resulting from coronary artery disease, etc.), and
- The "manner of death", the circumstances surrounding the cause of death, which in most jurisdictions include: