An autopsy, which is also known as a post-mortem examination, means the examination of the body of a dead person and is performed primarily to determine the cause of death, to identify or characterize the extent of disease states that the person may have had, or to determine whether a particular medical or surgical treatment had been effective. The postmortem examination includes external and internal cavity and viscus organ examination.
• The word autopsy is derived from the Greek word autopsia: "to see with one's own eyes."
• The doctor who conducts autopsy is an eye witness as well as an expert medical witness.
• Forensic autopsies are autopsies with legal implications and are performed to determine if death was an accident, homicide, suicide, or a natural event on inquest and request of law enforcement agency by a designated center and notified doctor.
• The Police and magistrate are empowered to order an autopsy under section 174 CrPc and 176 CrPc respectively.
• As per law, the forensic/legal autopsies are performed in India by medical doctors (minimum an MBBS); however, legal autopsy should only be conducted by a pathologist/forensic medicine expert, who has received specialty training in the diagnosis of diseases by the examination of body fluids and tissues.
• The doctor conducting autopsy in any dilemma must consult a doctor who has specialized in forensic medicine or an experienced doctor before finalizing medicolegal opinion.
• In academic institutions/hospitals, sometimes autopsies are also requested for teaching and research purposes, which is called pathological autopsy.
• Pathological autopsy is only conducted after obtaining valid informed consent of the legal heirs of deceased
• Doctor-patient confidentiality applies to autopsy examinations as to medical records of living patients. This means that doctors are not allowed to reveal the results of an autopsy examination to third parties without the permission of the legal heirs of the deceased.
• In many medical centers, the autopsy report is first submitted to the physician who treated the patient; the treating physician then shares the findings with the family.
• The legal heirs are always entitled to receive a copy of the autopsy report.
• The hospital is not allowed to give out any information about an autopsy or to respond to inquiries about an autopsy from any third parties.
• The family may choose to share the information with anyone they wish, but they must give written permission for the hospital to release autopsy records, just as with any medical records
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