Natural Death as Viewed by the Medical Examiner: A Review of 1000 Consecutive Autopsies of Individuals Dying of Natural Disease

• NCJ Number: 128081
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 36 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1991) Pages: 17-24
• Author(s): V J M Di Maio; D J M Di Maio
• Date Published: 1991
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A study of 1000 consecutive, full autopsies of individuals dying of natural diseases in Bexar County was conducted to determine the principal causes of death presenting to the medical examiner's office. The full autopsies consisted of toxicological screens for alcohol and acid, basic, and neutral drugs; a narcotics analysis was performed in selected cases.

Abstract

The results indicate that nearly 61 percent of the deaths were caused by cardiovascular disease; 8.7 percent were caused by diseases of the central nervous system and 8.6 percent by diseases of the respiratory system. Nine percent of the deaths were attributed to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the most common cause of death among children under one year of age. 8 tables and 4 references