Forensic Medicine Essay

Forensic medicine was recognized in the early 19th century and is still being used today. Forensic medicine deals with the application of scientific medical knowledge to the administration of law, to the furthering of justice, and to the legal relations of the medical practitioner. Forensic medicine addresses the physiology of dying, the cause and time of death, and post death phenomena. Practitioners of this branch of medicine assist the law in assessing the liability of medical practitioners in issues including consent to treatment, therapeutic intervention, emergency treatment, legal procedures, tissue and organ removal and transplantation, unnecessary surgery, cosmetic surgery, scientific experimentation, and sexual procedures as well

Forensic medicine has come a long way since its inception. Contemporary postmortem examination is an integral part of criminal investigations and involves both gross and microscopic analysis of organs and tissues for the development of legal records and, if indicated, testimony in a court of law. The most common type that is still being used is the autopsy and this could be used to find the identification of the dead and also the cause of death. If the death was caused by a weapon the Forensic Pathologist can figure out detailed information about the type of weapon and other important information. If the death was caused by a bullet the Pathologist can find the angle of fire and also the accuracy. Forensic Medicine is a major factor of the identification of victims found in disaster. In the 19th century two other forensic specialties arose; forensic psychiatry, and forensic toxicology. Forensic Psychiatry is used to determine the mental health of an individual before standing trial. A Forensic Toxicologist gives evidence on topics such as intentional poisoning and drug

Autopsies are used to determine the cause and manner of any death that is violent, unusual or untimely. The pathologist will examine the dead body remains and consider death scene findings. They will look at the medical records to see if the death was actually caused by a crime or from another reason like natural death. They might find something during the autopsy such as a bullet and this can help determine the cause of death and the manner at which it happened. They look at the bond pattern to see if they can find the type of weapon that was used and try and match it to a weapon.

Forensic medicine was discovered in the 19th century and has been used since it was discovered until today. The autopsy is one of the most commonly used types .An autopsy is a thorough medical exam of a body after death. It may be done to learn about a disease or injury. Or it may be done to find out how or why a person has died. An autopsy is done by a doctor called a pathologist. This type of doctor is an expert in examining body tissues and fluids. Family members may ask for an autopsy to be done after a loved one has died. This is called a requested autopsy. Sometimes an autopsy is required by law. This is called a required