1. Forensic Pathology
Lecture 1

2. Forensic Pathology
Determine cause and manner of death (autopsy/ postmortem examination)

3. 2 types of Autopsies Forensic Autopsy
Performed by a medical examiner (usually a forensic pathologist)
Does not require family consent
Performed in the following circumstances
Sudden, unexpected death
Violent death
Unattended or suspicious death
Medical Autopsy
Performed by a pathologist
Requires a families consent
Determine the extend of the disease / effects of therapy
The presence of any undiagnosed disease
Fewer than 12% of “regular” deaths are autopsied

4. Role of Forensic Pathologist
Medical doctors who perform autopsies and investigate:
Cause of death- the reason person died
ex: shooting, heart attack
Mechanism of death- actual change in the body that leads to death (biology)
Ex: blood loss (exsanguination), asphyxia (lack of oxygen), sepsis (infection)

5. Manner of death- five categories
Natural (most common)
Homicide
Suicide
Accidental
Unknown
Time of Death
Identity of victim

6. Cause, Mechanism and Manner Examples
Case Study 1
A person is found dead after a shooting at a local park. The victim was found with a gunshot wound to the chest lying in a puddle of blood.
Cause:
Mechanism:
Manner:
Cause: gun shot
Mechanism: blood loss (exsanguination)
Manner: homicide

7. Case Study 2
A victim died of massive trauma after her car skidded off an icy road into a tree. The accident crushed the victim’s lungs and caused her to stop breathing.
Cause:
Mechanism:
Manner:
Cause: car accident
Mechanism: lack of oxygen (asphyxia), pulmonary arrest
Manner: accident

8. Cause: Mechanism: Manner: Case Study 3:
A victim is found lying face down in their own vomit. The victim’s toxicology screen shows that the person had an excessive amount of drugs in his system but no needle marks are present on the person’s body.
Cause:
Mechanism:
Manner:
Cause: drug overdose
Mechanism: asphyxia, cardiac arrhthmia, brain shut down
Manner: unknown (don’t know if they were poisoned or took on their own from the information provided)