NCJ Number
79313
Journal
American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology Volume: 1 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1980) Pages: 57-60
Date Published
1980
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This paper outlines the major differences between the general and the forensic pathologist and discusses the reasons for these differences.
Abstract
The forensic pathologist safeguards the health and safety of the community by investigating deaths which have a high probability of revealing potentially remediable causes (i.e., sudden and unexpected deaths and deaths from injuries). Working principally for large local governments, forensic pathologists have the authority to perform autopsies and toxicology testing on the bodies of people who have died under circumstances of potential community concern. While nonforensic pathologists perform autopsies focusing on the individual patient's cause of death with reference to the hospital record only, forensic pathologists base determination of the cause of death on environmental, historical, and circumstantial data which are then confirmed or refuted by the autopsy examination. The autopsy consists of a series of laboratory tests selected for their utility in answering questions raised by the initial investigation. The number of autopsies performed by hospital-based pathologists has been declining, and the trend is expected to continue. Future training and the performance of autopsies will have to be taken over by forensic pathologists. Charts and three references are given.