Autopsies have been conducted for centuries with the key intent to gain knowledge and insight into the anatomy and physiology of the human body, as well as to ascertain cause of death.
The term, anatomy, comes from the Greek word, autopsia, which is defined as ‘to see with one’s own eyes’.1 Throughout the years, practitioners and legislators have tried to create protocols to determine when and if an autopsy is necessary through the means of informed consent. However, there are many shades of grey, both ethically and legally. Although these boundaries aren’t always clear, I believe it’s a practitioner’s ethical and legal duty to fully disclose the motivation behind requesting an autopsy to the senior next of kin, no matter how difficult the
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Interestingly, decisions in medical malpractice cases has shown that such proceedings were not instituted on the basis of autopsy findings, but rather on standard of care issues.”1
Beneficence is a very important principle, especially when communicating with bereaved family members. Compassion and kindness are especially merited during this time. The purpose of an autopsy should be to do good and help others, either by figuring out the cause of death, providing information to family members, or using it as a teaching method. In any case, the person making the decision to give consent should be informed of the reasoning behind the request and what or whom the benefit is for. No information should be withheld. For the scenario, this would benefit
4 the practitioner, but also the family because it would give them piece of mind and a full disclosure to decide. This would be an example of normative ethics, which attempts to determine what moral standards should be followed so that human behavior and conduct may be morally
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In Judaism, autopsies are condoned only when there are indications that the information will be of value to saving the life of another individual. These indications include experimental drugs, surgical procedures, contagious diseases, genetic disorders, or for forensic purposes. The teaching of Islam doesn’t allow for voluntary autopsy because it’s considered a desecration of a human person who was associated with the body; this can only be overturned if some law would be broken or public health endangered.”6
In conclusion, autopsies are not a simple matter. There are many factors and situations that influence motives for requesting an autopsy, as well as receiving informed consent. Although kin may not always be swayed due to cultural or religious beliefs, it’s still important to be upfront and honest about the motivation behind requesting an autopsy. “Bereaved families have the right to clear, factual, and sensitive communication from a skilled professional. The [practitioner’s] activity must rely on strong, clear, high moral values and ethical principles and his professional independence is in fact the warrant for respecting the deceased human
Forensic pathologists are the people who determine the cause and time of death if the deceased person died under suspicious circumstances, whether they be violent or not. They determine if the death was accidental, a homicide, natural, a suicide, or even if the cause of death was unknown. They do this by studying said victim’s medical history, evaluating the crime scene for evidence, studying the body for any clues, and performing an autopsy. After determining the cause, time, and the manner in which the victim died, forensic pathologists make a written report on the victim and sometimes testify in court to report their findings.
...urvivors and any of these people may taint the process by providing “biased” recollections. The most commonly cited limitation or weakness of psychological autopsies is the lack of any standardized procedures for conducting them (Roberts & Baker, 2009, Psychological Autopsy, Limitations of Psychological Autopsies section, para.2). Although psychologists have developed a standardized guide with twenty-six categories to assist investigators in conducting psychological autopsies, not all of the categories are applicable to every case or are considered by every psychologist conducting a psychological autopsy (Roberts & Baker, 2009, Psychological Autopsy, Limitations of Psychological Autopsies section, para.2). Lacks, Westveer, Dibble and Clemente (2008) question its validity and reliability as the accuracy of equivocal death analysis has not been empirically studied.
When a suspicious body appears in the morgue, the forensics team goes to work. The body, if still covered in tissue goes to the forensic pathologist who will study the tissue extensively. If a conclusion is unable to be reached through this process, the pathologist will remove the tissue from the bone and send the skeleton to the forensic anthropologist. In other cases, the victim is found with no to little tissue on the bone, making it nearly impossible for a layman to discover any identifying characteristics about the person. The forensic anthropologist’s first job is to determine the sex, age and race of the victim (Sauer, 1998).
The sudden or unexplained death of a person has a huge impact on families and friends of the deceased, and it places a huge role of responsibility on the medical examiner to answer questions which may provide closure. Interaction with the loved ones of the deceased is a delicate matter that must be dealt with calmly and professionally. Generally, medical examiners are overachievers, objective, analytical, and optimistic. “I can’t do anything for the deceased, they’re gone. But if I can do anything for the family, I will.” (www.voxmagazine.com)
Queensland Health (2011) states that in the nursing profession, certain principles must be fulfilled in order for informed consent to be considered valid. They state that the patient must be deemed to have the capacity to make a decision about the proposed issue at that specific time, and not be under the influence of any alcohol or drugs. They state that the patient must consent voluntarily and the decision be made free of manipulation or undue influence by family or the nurse. They suggest that the discussion must involve two-way communication between the patient and the nurse and be clear, rational and sensitive to the situation. The nurse must provide the patient with sufficient information about the proposed issue in a language that the patient can clearly comprehend (Queensland Health, 2011). When providing care, both nurses and paramedics must ensure that the patient has adequate knowledge and have a necessary understanding of the procedure, to...
When a person's body decomposes after death, it goes through a series of stages involving different chemical changes that cause it to change its appareance. Observing these changes can help forensic scientists determine the post-mortem interval (or time since death), which is very important when it comes to investigating unnatural deaths.
2. Kirsch, Laura. “Diagnosis: DEATH.” Forensic Examiner 15.2 (2006): 52-54. Criminal Justice Periodicals. ProQuest. USF Mears Library, Sioux Falls, SD. 24 Apr. 2008 http://www.proquest.com/
Instead, state governments should provide more funding and training for county coroner’s so they can do their jobs well with the proper facilities and equipment. Coroners are important elected officials and should not be replaced by appointed medical examiners who are not accountable to the public (“Coroners and Forensic Science”). Electing coroners with little medical experience and allowing them to perform autopsies with no real regulatory oversight is a deeply flawed and outdated method for conducting death investigations. As stated in the article, “autopsies should be performed only by licensed physicians, preferably those specializing in forensic pathology, and in offices run by certified medical examiners (“Coroners and Forensic Science”).” Furthermore, the U.S. should have a federal department that can impose a uniform set of standards for death investigation in every county, instead of the confusing hodgepodge of systems it has
The word “Death” has connotation meaning to it. Many are afraid of the unknown, but others are fascinated. If there's death there must be a body to claim. The career of a Medical Examiner focuses on dead people. This is the next step of my journey I would like to accomplish. Due to the career research project I was capable to expand my knowledge and reflect about my future career. In this research I was able to acquire more information a about what a Medical Examiner is, the requirements and it's income.
...y is not absolute and that the disclosure and justification of some individuals cases can potentially be successful. Moreover the person who disclosed the information will always be the person under scrutiny of the common law. Professionally, if the health care worker adhere to the policy it offers much protection for the topic of confidentiality and the correct attitude to retain information correctly.
There are three main, practical reasons defending the significance of embalming. The first is to restore the body to a familiar state, which has been proven to help families mentally and psychologically cope with the loss. Another reason is to rid the body of hazardous elements that live and grow in decaying tissue. It is still unknown whether embalming is effective at complete sanitation and protecting the public. The last main reason behind embalming is to preserve the body so a proper service and burial can be held.
Wound specimen vary from crime scene to crime scene such as; gunshot wound, stab wounds, defense wounds, rape wounds, blows from blunt objects, poisoning, strangulation, hanging, burns, explosions, electrocution, lightning, burning, hanging, and smothering, just to name a few. There are numerous classifications of wounds, most of which can let qualified investigators know more about the manner of death. Forensic pathologists' have the role in investigating medical examination of the body. They also assist investigation by relating the evidence to the autopsy findings. They will examine the wound, and tell if it was inflicted the wound and what instrument caused it. Pretty much all of the evidence that guide the examiner to consummate that the death was murder also allows for it to be sustainable evidence for the investigation and prosecuting the case; so that pathologists and investigators work closely together (Orthman-Hess, 2013).
In conclusion, obtaining informed consent is a vital part of respect for the patient and safeguarding of self-determination. The consent to participate in research or treatment should be informed, comprehensible, and free of coercion. There is not a clear black and white answer because no matter what is done to assure informed consent there is always a moment of doubt on the end of the patient as to whether what is going to take place is fully understood and their true wishes honored.
Within this chapter, five main objectives of forensic anthropologists will be discussed. (1) When visual inspection is not possible, forensic specialists attempt to determine ancestry (i.e. race or ethnic group), sex, age, and living height from the skeleton. (2) When traumatic evidences are seen, forensic specialists attempt to identify the nature of traumas and their causative agents at the same time gathering information about the cause and manner of death. (3) Forensic specialists determine the amount of time that has passed since persons have died. (4) Forensic specialists can assist in locating and recovering buried or surface remains wherein all relevant evidences are collected. (5) Forensic specialists can provide information useful in obtaining positive identifications of deceased persons.
How we came to know what we know now about anatomy and physiology has always been a great curiosity of anyone interested in the medical field. Knowing the history can lead to even more discoveries in the future. When you think of anatomy you imagine something like this picture below.