What is the difference between a pathologist and a forensic pathologist?
- A pathologist is a medical doctor who studies and diagnoses disease in humans
- A forensic pathologist studies death and trauma that leads to the death of an individual
What is an autopsy?
Involves the standardised dissection of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death
What is the cause and manner of death?
Cause: the explanation for the cessation of life
Manner: the way in which the cessation of life came to be; only four manners of death are acknowledged (homicide, suicide, accidental and natural)
What is mechanical trauma?
- Occurs when the force applied to a tissue such as skin or bone exceeds the mechanical or tensile strength of that tissue
- Includes sharpe and blunt force trauma
What is sharp force trauma?
- Refers to injuries caused by Sharpe implements such as knives, axes or ice picks
- Produce incised wounds that have more depth
- Most commonly causes death by exsanguination
What is exsanguination?
A fatal loss of blood usually when a major artery of the heart is damaged
What is blunt forcemeat
- Caused by dull or non-sharpened objects like baseball bats, bricks or lamps
- Produce lacerations or tears in the tissue
- Most commonly causes death when the brain has been severely damaged
What is stipling?
The burning of the skin due to contact with unburned gunpowder penetrating the skin
What is a contusion?
- An accumulation of blood in the tissues outside the normal blood vessels and is most often the result of blunt impact
- A hematoma is an extreme contusion
What is asphyxia?
- The body is deprived of oxygen -> brain is the most susceptible organ
- Occurs as a result of three main mechanisms; suffocation, strangulation and chemical asphyxiation
What is chemical trauma?
- Refers to damage and death which results from the interaction of chemicals with the human body
What is thermal trauma?
- Extreme heat or cold may produce death
- Hypothermia is too much exposure to cold an hyperthermia is excessive heat
What is rigor mortis?
The stiffening of the body after death due
What is liver mortis?
- The settling of blood due to gravity after the heart no longer circulates it -> results in a purplelish discolouration in the skin
- The blood settles in accordance with gravity - if pattern of lividity does not match the position of the body as it was found, it indicates the body has been moved after death
- Begins about an hour after death and peaks around 3-4 hours
What is petechiae?
Pinpoint haemorrhages found around the eyes, lining the mouth and throat -> often seen in hanging or strangulation victims
What is algor mortis
The cooling of the body after death
What is autolysis?
The disintegration of the body by enzymes released by dying cells
What are the four main stages of decomposition?
- Fresh
- Bloated (as gaseous by-products of bacterial action build up in body)
- Decay (wet-mushy liquid)
- Dry
What is a exhumation?
The retrieval of a previously buried body for post mortem examination
What is embalming?
A process of chemically treating the dead human body to reduce the presence and growth of microorganisms and to restore an acceptable physical appearance
