The medical discipline that determines the cause and manner of death, typically through autopsy, in cases of legal interest, and that is also called on to help confirm the identity of remains. Its use to help solve crimes traces to ancient China, where the official Yee Siung assembled physicians to dissect the bodies of murder victims and weigh their cause of death alongside the criminal case itself, one of the earliest documented uses of pathology in a criminal investigation.
Facts
What It ExaminesHuman remains, through autopsy and related examination, to establish the cause, manner and, where possible, time of death. 1 Formalized YearDates to Charles Norris becoming the first Chief Medical Examiner of New York City in 1918, widely credited with establishing the modern, physician-led medical examiner model in the United States. Known LimitationCause and manner of death determinations rest on the pathologist's interpretation of autopsy findings and available case information, and cognitive bias can unconsciously influence that judgment. 2 Discipline
Discipline (category)Pathology / Biology (incl. DNA) 1 Connections
Associated With
Michael Baden, former New York City Chief Medical Examiner, is one of the most publicly prominent contemporary forensic pathologists, consulted as an expert witness in numerous high-profile American cases.
Examines Within
Pioneered By
Source Forensic Pathology (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Saferstein, Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science
Richard Saferstein, Pearson
2. Forensic Pathology (Wikipedia)
History section
These victims' cause of death would be investigated alongside the actual case itself and this would be the first time pathology would be used to help solve criminal cases.
- Pioneered By: Bernard Spilsbury
In Group: Biological Evidence and DNA, Lead
Forensic pathology is a field of medicine that focuses on determining the cause of death by examining a corpse.
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