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Forgotten Resources – The Autopsy

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Molecular Pathology in Cancer Research

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Abstract

An autopsy, also known as a postmortem, is the medical examination of the deceased. It is a careful and detailed examination of the body and internal organs, in order to determine the cause of death and answer any clinical questions. The term “autopsy” means “to see for oneself” and refers to the fact that manifestations of disease are directly observed rather than relying solely on clinical findings and investigations [1, 2]. Modern medical understanding of disease originated when autopsies were first used to examine the structure and function of normal tissue. This could then be compared to the alterations seen in disease [3, 4]. Autopsies contributed to Virchow’s theories of cellular pathology in 1876, and to Osler’s great advancements of medical knowledge in the early 1900s [2]. Throughout the twentieth century autopsies played a key role in the explosion of medical knowledge. In recent times, autopsy research has contributed to the understanding of diseases as diverse as oesophageal adenocarcinoma, sudden cardiac death in young people, avian H1N1 influenza, and Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease [5–8].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Anatomical Pathology Mater Health Services, Mater Adult Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Deborah Smith

  2. The University of Queensland, UQ Centre for Clinical Research, The Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia

    Amy McCart Reed & Sunil R. Lakhani

  3. Pathology Queensland, Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia

    Sunil R. Lakhani

  4. The University of Queensland, School of Medicine, Herston, Queensland, Australia

    Sunil R. Lakhani

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  1. Deborah Smith
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Correspondence to Sunil R. Lakhani .

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  1. UQ Centre for Clinical Research, The Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, University of Queensland and Pathology Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Sunil R. Lakhani

  2. Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Stephen B. Fox

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Smith, D., Reed, A.M., Lakhani, S.R. (2016). Forgotten Resources – The Autopsy. In: Lakhani, S., Fox, S. (eds) Molecular Pathology in Cancer Research. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6643-1_15

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