About Autopsy

An autopsy is the examination of the body of a dead person. An autopsy is an examination of a dead body to determine cause of death, the effects or indications of disease or, in some cases, to identity the dead person. An autopsy is sometimes called a post-mortem. It is a detailed medical examination of a persons body after death. An autopsy can help explain why and how the death occurred. It is usually performed by a specialized medical doctor called a pathologist. Autopsies are performed for either legal or medical purposes. The principal aim of an autopsy is to determine the cause of death, the state of health of the person before he or she died, and whether any medical diagnosis and treatment before death was appropriate. There are two parts to the physical examination of the body: the external and internal examination. Toxicology, biochemical tests and/or genetic testing often supplement these and frequently assist the pathologist in assigning the cause or causes of death.