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Autopsy of the body. Psychological autopsy. Purpose and significance of the autopsy

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Psychological autopsy(lat. opsis - looking, seeing) - a procedure that consists in posthumous creation of a psychological profile of a person (establishing a hierarchical structure of his personal qualities) during a psychological and psychiatric examination, most often with the aim of establishing the fact of committing suicide.

The psychological autopsy procedure includes 2 main elements:

1. Extensive interviews with family members and other close people of the deceased. Interviews can be conducted both in person and by phone. The optimal interview interval: 3-12 months after the death of the alleged suicide (in order to avoid unnecessary traumatic interviews for those who are grieving at the loss of loved ones). The information obtained allows us to reconstruct the daily life of the deceased, his relationships with people, habits and other features of behavior.

2. Collection of all possible medical, psychiatric and other relevant data about the deceased (including personal diaries, letters and suicide notes, if any).

Further, the profile is analyzed from a clinical and psychological position and / or other psychological approaches, on the basis of which the final assessment of the factors that led to the death of a person is built. In forensic psychiatry, a retrospective study of a person's mental state for a certain period of time during a forensic psychiatric examination in order to establish the presence or absence of a mental disorder that influenced the crime committed.

History

The first studies of self-destructive and suicidal behavior through the collection of information about suicides appeared in the early twentieth century in Paris and New York, but the first modern study of psychological autopsy was carried out by Eli Robins and his colleagues at the University of Washington, USA in 1956-57. The study consisted of collecting and careful analysis of information on 134 suicides throughout the year. Around this time, Robert Litman, Norman Farberow, and Edwin Schneidman from the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center have developed an auxiliary method of conducting posthumous examinations, allowing to establish the cause of death of an alleged suicide. Thus, the authorship of the term is attributed to the founder of the American Suicidology Association, professor of thanatology, clinical psychologist and suicidologist. Edwin Schneidman who introduced it in 1958. For the first time the term "psychological autopsy" was used in a scientific article in 1963. Schneidman himself writes that he actively used this procedure in the further practice of research in the field of suicidology, giving it a more special, namely, forensic meaning.

Grounds for

Most often, a psychological autopsy is carried out under unclear circumstances of a person's death, as well as in the presence of other factors that may be influenced by the nature of a person's death (especially a will and other legal aspects). The goals of psychological autopsy are not only to prevent further suicide attempts among the population, but also, to a greater extent, to identify the characteristics of a person's death, as well as to establish the presence of suicidal risk factors in the deceased. For example, E. Schneidman proposed 15 main points for conducting a full-fledged psychological autopsy:

  • General information about the deceased: age, marital status, profession, religion, etc.
  • Death details
  • A brief description of the life of the deceased (including previous attempts at suicide)
  • Family history of the deceased (including family suicides, mental disorders of relatives, etc.)
  • Description of the personality and lifestyle of the deceased
  • A typical pattern of a person's response to stress, emotional upheaval and difficult life situations
  • Stressors, psychological problems and life difficulties immediately preceding death
  • The role of alcohol and drugs in the life of the deceased and their involvement in death
  • The essence and main features of the interpersonal relations of the deceased
  • Changes in the habits and other daily activities of the deceased (including hobbies, appetite, sexual behavior, etc.)
  • Information about the recent successes of the deceased (life ups, plans for the future, etc.)
  • Assessing intention
  • Mortality index (introduced by Schneidman, a quantitative indicator of the likelihood of a person committing suicide)
  • The reaction of loved ones to the death of a person
  • Comments and other specific notes regarding a particular case

Validity

Despite the unequivocal usefulness of psychological autopsy for various purposes, it should be borne in mind that the term "psychological autopsy" is not fully standardized and operationalized. The main problem with conducting psychological autopsies at the moment is the lack of a standardized protocol for conducting autopsies, as well as generally accepted instructions. In addition, the ethical side of the issue is difficult: many individual ethical factors must be taken into account when conducting a specific psychological autopsy. For example, it is mandatory to have the written consent of the informants for the processing of data, strict confidentiality of the data obtained and other legal aspects of the autopsy.

Links

  • Practice Guidelines for Suicide prevention, American Psychiatric Association, 2010.
  • Siddamsetty A.K., Aggarwal N.K., Bhatia M.S. (2014). Concept of Psychologucal Autopsy. Dehli Psychiatry Journal, vol. 17 (2), October 2014. P. 459-461.
  • Knoll J.L., Hazelwood R.R. (2009). Psychological Autopsy. In: Wiley Encyclopedia of Forensic Science. doi: 10.1002 / 9780470061589.fsa302

Literature

  • Antoon A. Leenaars (2004). Psychotherapy with Suicidal People: A Person-centered Approach. John Wiley & Sons, 480 p.
posthumous autopsy and examination of the body, incl. internal organs. It is more correct and more accurate to call this procedure necropsy (from the Greek. nekros - death and opsis - examination), and not by autopsy ( autos - himself). However, the term "autopsy" is more common; it appeared at the dawn of the history of medicine, when it became necessary to distinguish between the dissection of the human body and the dissection of the body of animals, which was practiced much more often.History . Some kind of posthumous research began, in all likelihood, as soon as people became interested in the nature of diseases. One of the first written testimonies says that Guillelmo of Saliceto (c. 1201–1280) performed an autopsy on the nephew of the Marquis Pallavicini. From many ancient descriptions it is clear that posthumous research was carried out for forensic purposes. In 1410, an autopsy was performed on the body of Pope Alexander V due to suspicions about his sudden and inexplicable death. In the 16th and 17th centuries. autopsies were increasingly being performed, and by the 1700s a number of detailed autopsy descriptions had already been published. The best among them was the systematic description of T.Bone (1620-1689). In the 18th century. the famous works of J. Morgagni appeared, which laid the foundation for the pathological method of studying diseases, and then the pathological atlas of M. Bailey (1794).

Autopsies acquired particular importance for medical science in the 19th century. thanks to the use of improved microscopes and the creation by R. Virkhov (1821-1902) of the theory of cellular pathology. From the middle of the 19th century. the best clinics have started asking for autopsy permits for all deaths.

Objectives and Significance of Autopsy. Different countries have different laws, but in general, in a civilized society, autopsies are currently performed only with the permission of the relatives of the deceased and only by a qualified doctor with special training in the field of pathological anatomy - a medical discipline that studies the structural and functional changes caused by disease. The main purpose of an autopsy is to study the disease more deeply, and the pathologist performing it solves a threefold problem. He tries to detect and describe any deviations from the normal anatomy of the body and various organs and, if possible, compare these deviations in order to find out the cause-and-effect relationship between them; further, on the basis of anatomical changes, he tries to explain the functional changes observed during life; and finally, it confirms or refutes an intravital clinical diagnosis. The opportunities provided by autopsy to verify the accuracy of the diagnosis and the correctness of the treatment of the disease are invaluable for improving medical knowledge and skills. However, medical science as a whole wins even more, since accurate registration of changes revealed during carefully conducted studies of a large number of cases of the same type allows a deeper understanding of pathological processes. The information obtained in this case is often not related to the direct cause of death of a given patient. Sometimes a detected pathological change is completely insignificant for assessing the cause of death of a given patient, but when compared with similar changes detected in other cases, it can be important for the overall progress of medical knowledge. For example, much in modern ideas about the histological features of the course and even the epidemiology of pulmonary tuberculosis is based on the results of the study of the lung tissue of people who have long been cured of this disease or suffer from its inactive form and died from completely different causes.Autopsy. Autopsy is performed as soon as possible after death, so that various postmortem changes do not interfere with the discovery of the true cause of death. Since many diseases, as well as violent actions, leave obvious damage to the skin and surface membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth, a very thorough external examination is first performed. Then the corpse is opened, making an incision so as to expose the internal organs to the greatest extent and at the same time ensure the possibility of a complete restoration of the body's appearance. In other words, no traces of autopsy remain on those parts of the body that are usually not covered by clothing, and the skull, if necessary, is opened above the border of the scalp. When opening the abdominal and thoracic cavities, their contents and the interposition of organs are examined. Then, either together or separately, various organs are removed and examined in detail. A thorough autopsy involves not only an examination with the naked eye, but also a microscopic examination of histological preparations of organs and tissues. The final diagnosis is always based on microscopic data. Sectio- cutting) - pathological or forensic procedure, postmortem autopsy and examination of the body, including internal organs. Usually done in order to establish the cause of death.

Opening is a colloquial term. In official speech and documentation, the term "pathological examination" or "forensic examination of a corpse" is usually used.

History

It is more correct and more accurate to call this procedure necropsy (from ancient Greek. νεκρός - death and other Greek. ὄψις - vision), and not by autopsy (ancient Greek. αὐτός - myself). The term "autopsy" is more common in Europe; it appeared at the dawn of the history of medicine, when it became necessary to distinguish between the dissection of the human body and the dissection of the body of animals, which was practiced much more often.

Some kind of posthumous research began, in all likelihood, as soon as people became interested in the nature of diseases and human anatomy.

Thanks to the Italian anatomist Mondino de Luzzi, the practice of public autopsies of dead people, which had been banned for a long time by the medieval Catholic Church, for the purpose of teaching medicine to students, was resumed. His work "Anatomy" (1316) became the first anatomical treatise since the time of Galen, based not on the retelling of the works of Galen and Ibn Sina, but on his own autopsy results, and also remained an authoritative textbook for the next 300 years.

In Europe, one of the first written autopsies dates back to the 13th century. A certain Guillelmo of Saliceto (c. 1201-1280) performed an autopsy on the nephew of the Marquis Pallavicini. From many ancient descriptions it is clear that posthumous research was carried out for forensic purposes.

In 1410, an autopsy was carried out on the body of Pope Alexander V due to suspicions about his sudden and inexplicable death. In the 16th and 17th centuries, autopsies were increasingly performed, and by 1700 a number of detailed autopsy descriptions had already been published.

In 1779, a decree of the Military Collegium was issued in Russia on the mandatory autopsy of the dead by violent death.

Autopsies acquired particular importance in medical science in the 19th century. thanks to the use of improved microscopes and the creation of the theory of cellular pathology by Rudolf Virchow (1821-1902). From the middle of the 19th century, the best clinics began to ask for autopsy permits for all deaths.

Purpose and significance of the autopsy

The main purpose of an autopsy is to study the disease more deeply, and the pathologist performing it solves a triple problem. He tries to detect and describe any deviations from the normal anatomy of the body and various organs and, if possible, compare these deviations in order to find out the cause-and-effect relationship between them; further, on the basis of anatomical changes, he tries to explain the functional changes observed during life; and finally, it confirms or refutes the lifetime clinical diagnosis, establishing the main and immediate cause of death.

Also, one of the tasks of the pathologist is to assess the effectiveness and correctness of the therapy carried out during the patient's life. The opportunities provided by autopsy to verify the accuracy of the diagnosis and the correctness of the treatment of the disease are invaluable for improving medical knowledge and skills. However, medical science as a whole wins even more, since accurate registration of changes revealed during carefully conducted studies of a large number of cases of the same type allows a deeper understanding of pathological processes. The information obtained in this case is often not related to the direct cause of death of a given patient. Sometimes a detected pathological change is completely insignificant for assessing the cause of death of a given patient, but when compared with similar changes detected in other cases, it can be important for the overall progress of medical knowledge. For example, much in modern ideas about the histological features of the course and even the epidemiology of pulmonary tuberculosis is based on the results of the study of the lung tissue of people who have long been cured of this disease or suffer from its inactive form and died from completely different causes.

Legislative regulation

In the Russian Federation, canceling an autopsy is not allowed in the following cases:

2. The impossibility of establishing the final clinical diagnosis of the disease leading to death and (or) the immediate cause of death;

3. Provision of medical care to a deceased patient by a medical organization in stationary conditions for less than one day;

4. Suspicion of overdose or intolerance to drugs or diagnostic drugs;

5. Death:

  • Associated with the implementation of preventive, diagnostic, instrumental, anesthetic, resuscitation, therapeutic measures, during or after surgery, transfusion of blood and (or) its components;
  • From an infectious disease or if you suspect it;
  • From cancer in the absence of histological verification of the tumor;
  • From a disease associated with the consequences of an environmental disaster;
  • Pregnant women, women in labor, parturient women (including the last day of the postpartum period) and children under the age of twenty-eight days of life inclusive;

6. The birth of a still child;

A forensic examination of a corpse is carried out in cases of death from violent causes or suspicions of them, including:

  • mechanical damage, including:
    • railway injuries,
  • stab wounds
  • poisoning, including:
    • products formed as a result of drug overdose,
  • provision of medical care that does not meet safety requirements, including:
    • conducting clandestine operations,
    • carrying out an induced abortion performed outside a medical institution,
    • medical consultations and (or) prescription of medicinal products by a person or persons who do not have a medical education,
    • negligence of medical personnel
  • extreme temperatures,
  • electricity,
  • when the identity of the deceased is not established.

The procedure and technique for conducting a forensic autopsy are described in the Order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development (Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia) of May 12, 2010 N 346n "On approval of the Procedure for organizing and conducting forensic medical examinations in state forensic institutions of the Russian Federation."

Autopsy

Autopsy is performed as soon as possible after death, so that various postmortem changes do not interfere with the discovery of the true cause of death. Since many diseases, as well as violent actions, leave obvious damage to the skin and surface membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth, a very thorough external examination is first performed. Then the corpse is opened, making an incision so as to expose the internal organs to the greatest extent and at the same time ensure the possibility of a complete restoration of the body's appearance. In other words, no traces of autopsy remain on those parts of the body that are usually not covered by clothing, and the skull, if necessary, is opened above the border of the scalp. When opening the abdominal and thoracic cavities, their contents and the interposition of organs are examined. Then, either together or separately, various organs are removed and examined in detail. A thorough autopsy involves not only an examination with the naked eye, but also a microscopic examination of histological preparations of organs and tissues. The final diagnosis is always based on microscopic data.

The study of forensic medicine and pathological anatomy is closely related to the conduct of autopsies. Usually, at the beginning of the curriculum, one or two demonstration autopsies are provided, and only then - independent ones. There are also special training videos of the autopsy demonstration.

Public attitudes towards autopsy

Even in modern times, autopsy met with resistance mainly from the poorly educated part of society. This attitude is based on

postmortem or forensic procedure, postmortem examination and examination of the body, including internal organs. Usually done in order to establish the cause of death.


It is more correct and more accurate to call this procedure necropsy (from Old Greek νεκρός - death and Old Greek ὄψις - vision), and not autopsy (Old Greek αὐτός - itself). The term "autopsy" is more common in Europe; it appeared at the dawn of the history of medicine, when it became necessary to distinguish between the dissection of the human body and the dissection of the body of animals, which was practiced much more often.


Some kind of posthumous research began, in all likelihood, as soon as people became interested in the nature of diseases and human anatomy.

In Europe, one of the first written autopsies dates back to the 13th century. A certain Guillelmo of Saliceto (c. 1201-1280) performed an autopsy on the nephew of the Marquis Pallavicini. From many ancient descriptions it is clear that posthumous research was carried out for forensic purposes. In 1410, an autopsy was carried out on the body of Pope Alexander V due to suspicions about his sudden and inexplicable death. In the XVI and XVII centuries. autopsies were increasingly performed, and by the 1700s a number of detailed autopsy descriptions had already been published.


In the 16th century, the great anatomist Andrei Vesalius, thanks to numerous autopsies, significantly corrected the prevailing ideas about human anatomy. At that time, such activities were condemned by the church, because Vesalius miraculously escaped the persecution of the Inquisition. Among further works, the systematic description of T. Bonet (1620-1689) stands out. In the XVIII century. the famous works of J. Morgagni appeared, which laid the foundation for the pathological method of studying diseases, and then the pathological atlas of M. Bailey (1794).


Autopsies acquired particular importance in medical science in the 19th century. thanks to the use of improved microscopes and the creation by R. Virchow (1821-1902) of the theory of cellular pathology. From the middle of the 19th century, the best clinics began to ask for autopsy permits for all deaths.


The main purpose of an autopsy is to study the disease more deeply, and the pathologist performing it solves a threefold problem. He tries to detect and describe any deviations from the normal anatomy of the body and various organs and, if possible, compare these deviations in order to find out the cause-and-effect relationship between them; further, on the basis of anatomical changes, he tries to explain the functional changes observed during life; and finally, it confirms or refutes the lifetime clinical diagnosis, establishing the main and immediate cause of death.


Also, one of the tasks of the pathologist is to assess the effectiveness and correctness of the therapy carried out during the patient's life. The opportunities provided by autopsy to verify the accuracy of the diagnosis and the correctness of the treatment of the disease are invaluable for improving medical knowledge and skills. However, medical science as a whole wins even more, since accurate registration of changes revealed during carefully conducted studies of a large number of cases of the same type allows a deeper understanding of pathological processes. The information obtained in this case is often not related to the direct cause of death of a given patient. Sometimes a detected pathological change is completely insignificant for assessing the cause of death of a given patient, but when compared with similar changes detected in other cases, it can be important for the overall progress of medical knowledge. For example, much in modern ideas about the histological features of the course and even the epidemiology of pulmonary tuberculosis is based on the results of the study of the lung tissue of people who have long been cured of this disease or suffer from its inactive form and died from completely different causes.


Legislative regulation

Different countries have different laws, but in general in developed countries, autopsies are performed only with the permission of the relatives of the deceased and only by a qualified doctor (pathologist, forensic physician) with special training in the field of pathological anatomy or forensic medicine.


Cancellation of an autopsy is not allowed in the Russian Federation:

  • if it is impossible to establish the final clinical diagnosis of the disease that led to death and (or) the immediate cause of death, regardless of the duration of the patient's stay in the hospital;
  • if you suspect an overdose or intolerance to drugs or diagnostic drugs;
  • in cases of death associated with the implementation of preventive, diagnostic, instrumental, anesthetic, resuscitation, therapeutic measures during or after a blood transfusion operation;
  • in cases of death from an infectious disease or suspicion of it;
  • in cases of death from cancer in the absence of histological verification of the tumor;
  • in cases of death from a disease associated with the consequences of environmental disasters;
  • in cases of death of pregnant women, parturient women and women in childbirth (including the last day of the postpartum period);
  • in cases of death requiring a forensic examination of the corpse.
  • A forensic medical examination of a corpse is carried out in cases of death:
  • from violent reasons or suspicion of them,
  • from mechanical damage,
  • poisoning, including ethyl alcohol,
  • mechanical asphyxia,
  • extreme temperatures,
  • electricity,
  • after an induced abortion performed outside a medical institution,
  • when the identity of the deceased is not established.

AUTOPSY
posthumous autopsy and examination of the body, incl. internal organs. It is more correct and more accurate to call this procedure necropsy (from the Greek nekros - death and opsis - examination), and not autopsy (autos - itself). However, the term "autopsy" is more common; it appeared at the dawn of the history of medicine, when it became necessary to distinguish between the dissection of the human body and the dissection of the body of animals, which was practiced much more often.
History. Some kind of posthumous research began, in all likelihood, as soon as people became interested in the nature of diseases. One of the first written records says that Guillelmo of Saliceto (c. 1201-1280) performed an autopsy on the nephew of the Marquis Pallavicini. From many ancient descriptions it is clear that posthumous research was carried out for forensic purposes. In 1410, an autopsy was performed on the body of Pope Alexander V due to suspicions about his sudden and inexplicable death. In the 16th and 17th centuries. autopsies were increasingly being performed, and by the 1700s a number of detailed autopsy descriptions had already been published. The best among them was the systematic description of T.Bone (1620-1689). In the 18th century. the famous works of J. Morgagni appeared, which laid the foundation for the pathological method of studying diseases, and then the pathological atlas of M. Bailey (1794). Autopsies acquired particular importance for medical science in the 19th century. thanks to the use of improved microscopes and the creation of the theory of cellular pathology by R. Virkhov (1821-1902). From the middle of the 19th century. the best clinics have started asking for autopsy permits for all deaths.
Purpose and significance of autopsy. Different countries have different laws, but in general, in a civilized society, autopsies are currently performed only with the permission of the relatives of the deceased and only by a qualified doctor with special training in the field of pathological anatomy - a medical discipline that studies the structural and functional changes caused by disease. The main purpose of an autopsy is to study the disease more deeply, and the pathologist performing it solves a threefold problem. He tries to detect and describe any deviations from the normal anatomy of the body and various organs and, if possible, compare these deviations in order to find out the cause-and-effect relationship between them; further, on the basis of anatomical changes, he tries to explain the functional changes observed during life; and finally, it confirms or refutes an intravital clinical diagnosis. The opportunities provided by autopsy to verify the accuracy of the diagnosis and the correctness of the treatment of the disease are invaluable for improving medical knowledge and skills. However, medical science as a whole wins even more, since accurate registration of changes revealed during carefully conducted studies of a large number of cases of the same type allows a deeper understanding of pathological processes. The information obtained in this case is often not related to the direct cause of death of a given patient. Sometimes a detected pathological change is completely insignificant for assessing the cause of death of a given patient, but when compared with similar changes detected in other cases, it can be important for the overall progress of medical knowledge. For example, much in modern ideas about the histological features of the course and even the epidemiology of pulmonary tuberculosis is based on the results of the study of the lung tissue of people who have long been cured of this disease or suffer from its inactive form and died from completely different causes.
Autopsy. Autopsy is performed as soon as possible after death, so that various postmortem changes do not interfere with the discovery of the true cause of death. Since many diseases, as well as violent actions, leave obvious damage to the skin and surface membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth, a very thorough external examination is first performed. Then the corpse is opened, making an incision so as to expose the internal organs to the greatest extent and at the same time ensure the possibility of a complete restoration of the body's appearance. In other words, no traces of autopsy remain on those parts of the body that are usually not covered by clothing, and the skull, if necessary, is opened above the border of the scalp. When opening the abdominal and thoracic cavities, their contents and the interposition of organs are examined. Then, either together or separately, various organs are removed and examined in detail. A thorough autopsy involves not only an examination with the naked eye, but also a microscopic examination of histological preparations of organs and tissues. The final diagnosis is always based on microscopic data.
Forensic aspects. The autopsy is also very important in forensic medicine. In most civilized countries, the study of deaths resulting from violence or poisoning (accident, murder or suicide), as well as in circumstances giving rise to suspicion of unnatural death or requiring a special investigation. In such cases, the purpose of the autopsy is to provide evidence for later trial, rather than to expand scientific knowledge, and focuses on establishing the cause and timing of death and the circumstances under which it occurred. The cause of death is often indicated by external signs - the type of body, wounds and other traumatic injuries, the place of death, the position of the corpse or the surrounding objects, but often during autopsy it turns out that these visible causes of death have already appeared a second time. An example is a sudden heart attack, which caused a loss of consciousness and a fall, resulting in a head injury, as evidenced by a fractured skull. An autopsy in this case can detect fatal heart damage and no fatal brain damage. Acute alcohol poisoning is a common cause of accidents in which there is suspicion of murder or suicide. When a chemical analysis of the brain removed during autopsy reveals a high alcohol content, it can be assumed that the existing damage is most likely accidental. If, with a sudden and inexplicable death, it is not possible to detect the corresponding structural changes in vital organs, the pathologist relies on the conclusion of a toxicologist, who determines the presence of poison by performing a chemical analysis of the contents of the stomach, brain tissue or internal organs.
Determination of the time of death. In forensic practice, establishing the time of death is often of particular importance, but, unfortunately, it is rarely possible to do this with the required accuracy. There are no specific rules here. Physical features of the body, obesity or emaciation, clothing, air temperature, or, in the case of a drowned man, water play a role. Nevertheless, posthumous changes develop in a certain sequence, which makes it possible to approximately determine how long ago death occurred, taking into account the cooling of the body, its discoloration, stiffness and decay.
Body temperature and skin color. The cooling time of the body ranges from 3 to 12 hours, depending on the clothes and the ambient temperature. Discoloration (bluish discoloration of the skin due to the drainage of blood into the lower parts of the body under the influence of gravity) begins after 1-4 hours, depending on the amount of blood in the vessels and reaches a maximum after 12 hours. This sign rather indicates the position of the body and its possible movement after death than at the time of its onset. Rigor mortis (postmortem stiffness of the muscles) develops and reaches a maximum in 2-3 hours. Rigor is more pronounced in the muscles of the head, neck and arms than in the muscles of the legs. It usually lasts from 12 to 24 hours, and then gradually weakens, again depending on the ambient temperature and the development of the muscles of the deceased. Heat hastens both the onset and the disappearance of rigor mortis. Most experts agree that the cold delays both the beginning and the end of this process, but some argue that, although rigor mortis disappears later under such conditions, it begins earlier. With developed muscles, rigor mortis occurs more slowly and lasts longer than with weak muscles.
Decomposition. Signs of decomposition, if any, indicate how long ago death was, but much depends on the temperature and humidity of the environment. In a warm, damp atmosphere, a corpse can completely decompose in 48 hours, while in the cold, dry air of the northern winter, it can persist indefinitely. In water, the body decomposes faster, in land this process slows down.
Stomach contents. If the time of the last meal is known, then the degree of its digestion in the stomach and small intestine can serve as an indication of the date of death, although the rate of digestion in different people differs markedly and depends on the amount and nature of the food.
Hair Growth. Contrary to popular belief, hair does not grow after death. Therefore, if you know the time of the last shave, then by the length of the beard, you can fairly accurately determine the time of death.
Public attitudes towards autopsies. Even in modern times, autopsy met with resistance mainly from the poorly educated part of society. This attitude is based on superstition or delusion (which, however, can be understood), since none of the major religions (with the exception of the Hindu religion) imposes an absolute prohibition on posthumous research. T.Bone in 1679, formulating the reason for the persistent interest of thinking doctors in autopsy, wrote: “Let those who protest against the autopsy fully realize their delusion. they do nothing to help the lifeless flesh, but they cause enormous harm to the rest of humanity, since they prevent doctors from acquiring knowledge, perhaps necessary to help people suffering from the same disease. ignorance, rather than carefully and diligently seek the truth; they do not understand that, in doing so, they become guilty before God, before themselves and before society as a whole. "
LITERATURE
Strukov A.I., Serov V.V. Pathological anatomy. M., 1985

Collier's Encyclopedia. - Open Society. 2000 .

Synonyms:

See what "AUTOPSY" is in other dictionaries:

    Autopsy ... Spelling dictionary-reference

    - (Greek). Direct research of something with your own eyes, autopsy, etc. Dictionary of foreign words that are part of the Russian language. Chudinov AN, 1910. AUTOPSY research by Ph.D. object with your own eyes; recognition ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

    Autopsy, autopsy Dictionary of Russian synonyms. autopsy n. autopsy anatomy Dictionary of Russian synonyms. Context 5.0 Informatics. 2012 ... Synonym dictionary

    - (from auto ... and Greek opsis vision) (section), autopsy for diagnostic or scientific purposes ... Modern encyclopedia

    - (from auto ... and Greek opsis vision) autopsy for diagnostic or scientific purposes ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

    autopsy- and, w. I cursed myself for the personification of all the phenomena of electricity, phosphorescence, otopsy, harmony. nonsense, all good and bad. 1869. Hertz. 30 (1) 278. See Otopsia ... Historical Dictionary of Russian Gallicisms

    AUTOPSY- AUTOPSY, see Autopsy ... Great medical encyclopedia

    Autopsy- (from gr. auto itself + opsis vision; engl. autopsy) postmortem medical research to establish the cause of death. Distinguish pathoanatomical A. (it is carried out to determine the state of all organs, the nature of painful changes, ... ... Encyclopedia of Law

    Autopsy- (from auto ... and Greek opsis vision) (section), autopsy for diagnostic or scientific purposes. ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

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