Forensic Pathology for Police - Brainshare Public Online Library

Chapter 3
Introduction to Forensic Pathology
What man can live and not see death, or save himself from the
power of the grave?
Psalm 89:48
Abstract Chapter 3 provides the reader with an overview of forensic pathology,
including the duties of a forensic pathologist, the required training, and various
qualifications. Specific duties of forensic pathologists include death investigation,
autopsy performance, identification of dead bodies, documentation of findings,
death certification, testifying and consultation.
Keywords Forensic pathology · Training requirements · Board certification ·
Testifying · Consultation
Overview
Note: The reader is referred to Chapter 1 (Introduction to Pathology) and Chapter 2
(Introduction to Forensic Sciences) as prerequisite reading prior to this chapter.
Forensic pathology represents a subspecialty area within the larger field of
pathology that specifically deals with the investigation of sudden, unexpected,
and/or violent death. As “pathology” literally means “the study of disease,” the
subspecialty of “forensic pathology” may be considered the study of “diseases”
(taken to include natural disease as well as “injury”) that can cause death. Another
useful definition of “forensic pathology” is the application of forensic science and
pathology to the investigation of death.
It is worth noting that forensic pathology can also be considered a part of a
somewhat larger division within medical terminology called “forensic medicine.”
“Forensic medicine” can be defined as the application of forensic sciences to
medicine. As such, forensic medicine does not limit its scope to death investigation.
In fact, the practice of so-called “clinical forensic medicine” specifically deals
with examination of living patients. Depending on the jurisdiction, local resources,
J. Prahlow, Forensic Pathology for Police, Death Investigators, Attorneys,
and Forensic Scientists, DOI 10.1007/978-1-59745-404-9_3,
C○ Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010
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