Careers in the fields of forensic medicine and science cover a broad
spectrum of disciplines and training. Forensic medicine is a
specialized branch of medicine, also referred to as legal medicine or
medical jurisprudence, whereby specially-trained physicians
investigate the cause and manner of death, interpret and establish the
medical facts, apply their medical knowledge, and then testify to the
findings in both civil and criminal law trials. Forensic medicine is
one of the largest, most important areas of the forensic sciences, and
deals chiefly with the topics of anatomy and physiology, pathology and
psychiatry.
Forensic medicine is the application of
medical science to legal problems and typically involves cases
concerning deaths resulting from accident, self-harm, inflicted
violence and other unnatural means. An autopsy, or other less
invasive form of post-mortem examination, is used to determine the
cause of death, particularly in cases where foul play is suspected or
known. Post-mortem examination can determine not only the immediate
agent of death (e.g. gunshot wound, poison), but may also yield
important contextual information, such as how long the person has been
dead, which can help law enforcement detectives investigate the
death. Forensic medicine has also become increasingly important in
cases involving rape. Modern techniques use such specimens as semen,
blood and hair samples of the criminal found in or on the victim's
body, which can be compared to the defendant's genetic makeup through
an analytical technique known as DNA fingerprinting. This method,
among others, may also be used to identify positively a
decedent.
Forensic pathology is the legal branch of
pathology concerned with determining the cause of death (e.g., gunshot
wound to the head, exsanguination, strangulation, etc.) and manner of
death (e.g., natural, accident, suicide, homicide, undetermined).
Forensic pathologists examine wounds and injuries due to crime or
negligence as well as tissue specimens to identify those relevant to
crimes and the cause of death. They also consider the findings from
scene investigation, toxicological and chemical analyses, firearms and
ballistics testing, trace evidence results, anthropological evidence,
and other specialized disciplines to determine accurately a decedent’s
cause and manner of death.
For additional details regarding forensic medicine and related
sciences, please choose a topic from the blue navigation block to the
left.
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