Forensic pathology

This chapter outlines the role of the forensic pathologist in death investigations with particular reference to legal coroners' jurisdictions. The purpose and conduct of medico-legal autopsies is described and the key aims of autopsies from both the medical and legal perspective is discussed. The role of radiological examination of deceased persons is covered together with the detailed processes involved in both the external and internal examination of a deceased person. Specialist tests that may be relevant to the discovery of the cause of death and all the circumstances surrounding the death are also discussed. The chapter ends with a description of the different types of injuries that may be found during a forensic autopsy and addresses some of the complexities surrounding the interpretation of injuries with respect to their causation, their linkage to the cause of death and the circumstances of their infliction