Beyond the Autopsy: Special Procedures Performed Postmortem. Issue 2 (June 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Collins, Kim A.
• Is Part Of: Academic forensic pathology. Volume 5:Issue 2(2015)
• Page Start: 280
• Page End: 290
• Publication Date: 2015-06
• Subjects: Forensic pathology -- Atherosclerosis -- Sudden death -- Coronary artery disease -- Autopsy; Forensic pathology -- Periodicals; Forensic pathology; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 614.1
• DOI: 10.23907/2015.031
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1925-3621

Abstract

Postmortem examinations have been performed for centuries. Around 300 BCE in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, for the first time in recorded history, physician-scientists performed dissections on humans. The first true autopsies were reported in the 1300s in Italy initially performed in cases of suspected poisoning or as part of the investigation of epidemics. Today, the autopsy, a medical procedure, is performed to certify the cause and manner of death, identify diseases, assess medical therapy, monitor public health, develop vital statistics, compare pre- and postmortem diagnoses, and serve as the number one quality assurance tool in medicine.