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Abstract

Chapter 7 begins by providing a synopsis of the differences between a hospital (medical) autopsy and a forensic (medicolegal) autopsy. Most of the chapter deals with a relatively detailed discussion of the various aspects of a forensic autopsy, including investigation, external examination, internal examination, and ancillary procedures, and the chapter concludes by discussing cases in which autopsies are not performed, the role of the autopsy assistant, and office accreditation and forensic autopsy standards.

Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath. Psalm 39:4–5

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Correspondence to Joseph Prahlow .

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© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Prahlow, J. (2010). The Postmortem Forensic Examination/Autopsy. In: Forensic Pathology for Police, Death Investigators, Attorneys, and Forensic Scientists. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-404-9_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-404-9_7

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-975-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59745-404-9

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