Autopsy

An autopsy is a systematic examination of a body after death to identify disease, injury, or the cause of death. It may include external inspection, dissection, and laboratory tests.

External examination: Inspection of a body’s surface to document identifying features, injuries, and other visible findings. The examination begins by recording what can be observed without dissection.
Forensic pathology: The medical specialty that investigates deaths with legal significance through examination and interpretation of evidence. Forensic pathologists perform autopsies when death circumstances require legal investigation.
Herophilus: An ancient Greek physician in Alexandria who conducted systematic anatomical dissections in the third century BCE. His dissections belong to the earliest documented traditions of human anatomical investigation.
Biopsy: The removal of a sample of living tissue for diagnostic examination. Unlike an autopsy, a biopsy samples tissue from a living person and is usually limited in scope.
Internal examination: Inspection of internal organs and tissues, often involving dissection and collection of samples. Dissection reveals findings that external inspection cannot show.
Clinical autopsy: An autopsy conducted to clarify disease, evaluate treatment, or improve understanding of a patient’s death. This form focuses on medical questions rather than establishing legal responsibility.
Mondino de' Liuzzi: A medieval Italian anatomist whose 1316 anatomy text helped reintroduce human dissection in European medical education. His work marks a later institutional revival of examining human bodies.
Embalming: The preservation of a dead body through chemical treatment, commonly for viewing or burial. Embalming prepares a body for preservation rather than determining disease or cause of death.
Histopathology: The microscopic study of diseased tissue to identify structural changes associated with illness. Tissue microscopy can confirm or clarify abnormalities found during dissection.
Forensic autopsy: A postmortem examination conducted to investigate deaths that may involve crime, accident, or uncertain circumstances. It addresses questions about cause and manner of death for legal authorities.

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