Autopsy Facts

Autopsy is the process of dissecting a dead human body to find out the reason behind its death and the conditions in which an individual is dying. This process is commonly known as Post- Mortem and it is a medical procedure which has helped doctors and the world to unlock many locked mysteries of human body mechanism. Autopsy involves the dissection if the corpse after which it is examined exhaustively so that the reason or reasons that led to the death of the body can be concluded.

Interesting Facts about Autopsy

• Autopsy has made a great difference in the investigation of crime, though there are many people and professions who benefit from Autopsy. There are medical students who get to know the intricate mechanism of muscles, nerves and bones by dissecting a human body.
• The specialized doctor who performs Autopsy is called a pathologist who is a specialist in the branch of human disease and the study of organs conducts an autopsy.
• The examination is done by surgically dissecting the human body and by removing the essential and non-essential organs of its body.
• Autopsy is also known as necropsy or obduction. However the term "autopsy" is derived from Greek, which means, "see for yourself"
• Autopsy usually is done within forty-eight hours of the death of the person to know the reason of death.
• Autopsy can be of several types, which are Forensic autopsy, Clinical autopsy and Coroner’s Autopsy which differ on the basis of reason for which the autopsy is being done. Forensic autopsy is primarily done if the death is not normal and there is a suspicion of crime in it but Clinical Autopsy is done for academic purposes to show and explain each student about the human organs. Crooner’s Autopsy is done when there is no clue regarding the reason of death of the person.
• Autopsies were done even in earlier times when the Greek physicians dissected bodies so that they can understand what the human body is composed of and how at times it’s functioning is disrupted.
• When the corpse is taken to the autopsy examination hall, the first thing that is done is the determination of the cadaver’s origin, it’s race, ethnicity, sex and identification marks.
• Once initial identification is done the body is placed in away that it is convenient for the examination process. There are various incisions that are made on the body and any abnormality that is found is recorded and taken into consideration.
• The instruments that are used in the process of autopsy are skull chisel, enterotome, rib cutters, surgeons needle, scalpel, bone saw, toothed forceps and vibrating saw.

After the autopsy is done the body is again restored back to normal and one interesting fact about Autopsy is that in spite of the body being cut through there are few cases where there is no blood shed because the heart dose not pump blood any more though there are some exceptions like the cases in which the death occurs as a result of drowning.