Post-mortem Examination.

Post-mortem Examination. Examination of the body after death is a duty which has frequently to be discharged by medical men in various circumstances, of which the most important are (1) cases of sudden or accidental death; (2) cases of lingering illness, in which the nature of the disease had not been determined during life; and (3) cases of suspected suicide or homicide. Such examinations cannot legally be undertaken until twenty-four hours have elapsed after death, and permission or warrant must be obtained for the performance of the examination. In ordinary cases where the examination is necessary or advisable for the purpose of throwing light upon the nature of the fatal illness, and where no judicial question is involved, the consent of the parents, relatives, or guardians must be procured. In medico-legal cases the order of the coroner (in England) or of the procurator-fiscal (in Scotland) is essential. In such cases the examination should always be performed by two medical men, one of whom, it is desirable, should be an expert. In all cases the position of the body and of the surrounding objects should be carefully noted, as they often throw light upon the cause of death. The external appearances of the body, such as the presence of rigidity and of postrefractive changes, should be observed, as affording a certain clue to the period at which death occurred. In medico-legal autopsies every organ in the body should be carefully examined, and its condition briefly but accurately noted. A careful microscopic examination should follow if there be the least doubt as to the nature of the diseased condition present. Finally, in cases of suspected poisoning portions of the organs must be subjected to chemical analysis. The study of the changes wrought in the various organs by disease has been one of the most potent factors in advancing scientific medicine.